Grohe: Kitchens in future offices
Text by DETAIL - Zeitschrift für Architektur + Baudetail
München, Germany
09.09.16
The world’s most sustainable office building is in Amsterdam and is called ‘The Edge’. The building by PLP Architecture reveals its un-usual character not just in the architecture, but also and above all in the carefully thought-out everyday details that help make it ecologically sustainable and a pioneer for future work environments.
Two things had a significant impact on the design of the high-rise building in the new ‘Zuidas’ business district in the south of the city: the offices of Google and Microsoft, and the hotel-lobby atmosphere. Together they result in a new kind of work environment, where work and life are interwoven. As sustainability is an important criterion when choosing a workplace, it was ensured that every detail met these requirements. Since employees only spend 30-40 % of their time at a desk, only 1,000 workplaces were created rather than 2,500.
Office building The Edge, Amsterdam by PLP Architecture
In line with the ‘hot desking’ principle, each morning employees choose, using the company’s internal app, their desk for the day according to whether they want to work in a team or alone. They can also use the app to adjust heating and lighting according to their preferences. The building uses geothermal energy and a 65,000 m2 photovoltaic system on the roof to generate energy. This generates enough electricity for all the employees’ laptops, smartphones and electric cars. 500 bicycle spaces have also been provided. Thus the new building consumes 30 % less energy than a conventional building.
GROHE supports the sustainable character of the building with its fittings. In the kitchens, GROHE Blue® has been used to minimize the massive consumption of plastic water bottles. The stylish fixtures not only filter the drinking water, they also cool and carbonate it. Glass carafes invite employees to drink water throughout the day. GROHE Blue® is supplemented with the GROHE Red® tap, which delivers boiling, filtered water. This eliminates the need for a kettle and the associated energy consumption, and provides users with quicker and safer access to boiling water. In the washrooms, the washbasin mixer Europlus E ensures sustainability. The mixer is controlled by an infrared sensor, and therefore only emits as much water as is needed. The toilet cisterns are supplied with rainwater. The green building with 40,000 m2 of office space has at 98.36 % been rated ‘outstandingly sustainable’ according to the British BREEAM certification system, and therefore leads the way for future work environments.
Text: Katja Reich
