Offices of De Bijenkorf, Amsterdam, with noraplan uni floor coverings

Netherlands (Amsterdam) | Industry & Life Science | noraplan^® uni

De Bijenkorf head office: A sustainable office for the employees' well-being

Anyone who likes shopping or simply wants to visit an interesting place, should not miss Amsterdam’s largest department store, centrally located on Dam Square – De Bijenkorf (the beehive). Here, shoppers and visitors can dive into a very special ambience. The large, six-storey department store resembles a banquet – full of light, surprising with interesting objects, shining with modern design, a mixture of intelligence and fun. The same applies to the office wing of the department store, which has recently been modernised and whose interior design focuses on bio-based or recycled materials, thus underlining its attitude towards sustainable design. In total, the more than 8,000 square metres of office area offer space for 450 employees.<

Carefully selected materials

“The materials and finishes of the office interior have been carefully selected according to their social and environmental footprint”, explains Jeroen Floris, Trade Marketing Manager for Benelux at Interface. The fluted columns across the workspaces are lined with recycled felt and installed by the Refugee Company, a local organization that helps people who have fled their home countries to find work in the Netherlands. Additional interior fittings include counters made of residual marble, refurbished vintage chairs and biobased plant baskets. “Also, the floor covering was carefully selected, as it should fit into the concept both visually and in terms of its properties”, adds Floris. Here the choice fell on beige-coloured noraplan uni, a rubber floor covering with a smooth surface and a harmonious appearance. The design classic was the first floor covering made by nora systems, now part of the Interface group, and has been part of the rubber specialist’s standard range for 70 years now – a proof of its first-class quality and timeless elegance.

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A floor that scores with a sustainable product life cycle

Quality is not only shown in the functional properties of the products, but also in the development of healthy floors for living and their future-oriented, ecologically conscious production. Rubber flooring is produced with foresight, valuable resources are used sparingly, attention is paid to low energy consumption during production and manufacturing processes are constantly being optimized. The company continuously checks, improves and perfects – always for the best possible result. “It is not for nothing that the standard formulations of nora’s rubber floor coverings have been awarded the cradle-to-cradle silver certificate”, adds Floris.

For good indoor air in flexible working spaces

Recent workplace trends suggest that employees benefit from adaptable and flexible working environments: At the De Bijenkorf headquarters, employees enjoy access to pool tables, dining areas, breakout spaces and lounge seating. A restaurant and additional common spaces away from the building entrance allow users to mix and socialize with one another. The designers furnished the lounge areas with custom seating and hanging planters – some plants are even built into the seating, ensuring employees are never far from a dose of plant-based oxygen. So wherever the employees are in the room, everywhere they benefit from good indoor air quality. And this is precisely where nora floor coverings score points, as they also contribute to good indoor air quality. This is thanks to the fact that they are extremely low-emission, as evidenced by numerous international certifications. Also cleaning of nora rubber floors is low-emission and can basically be carried out with a simple wipe. This protects the environment and at the same time has economic benefits.

Good acoustics for efficient work

Especially in open-plan offices, good acoustics are crucial for the well-being of employees and relaxed working. The right floor covering in particular contributes to a low-noise environment: “In order to reduce the walking noise in the open space office, an acoustically effective floor was needed,” explains Floris. “This was also one of the reasons why the planners and architects opted for rubber floorings from nora. This is because their permanent elasticity considerably reduces walking noises”, he concludes. So even in a large office area, such as that of De Bijenkorf, there is a pleasantly quiet atmosphere. The rubber flooring also has a pleasurable haptic quality. This is where you notice the grip and slip resistance of the flooring,

Data and facts

Building	De Bijenkorf head offi ce, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Architect	Bearandbunny (www.bearandbunny.com)
Installation Year	2019
Photographer	© Phenster (www.phenster.nl)
Products	noraplan uni, 8,800 m²

Office design: adaptable and flexible working environment

Office concept focusing on bio-based or recycled materials

At the De Bijenkorf headquarters, employees

Products

noraplan^® uni

Rubber flooring one-coloured

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