What if a workplace could adapt meaningfully to the businesses and employees that use it? Project Developer, Being Developments, had high hopes for their latest project: a large multi-tenant office building situated in a busy spot near multiple transport hubs in Amsterdam. The Joan building had to be a dynamic, nurturing, and unique workplace for a variety of creative and innovative tenants, not only today, but for years to come. As sustainability consultants, our task was to help choose the best materials and design features to achieve this, while ensuring the building would sit comfortably in its environment with minimal impact.
A huge array of clever features came together to make The Joan a trailblazing example for new office developments.
From an energy point of view, The Joan is a sustainable workspace that runs as much as possible on renewable energy generated on site via solar panels and Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (a system which harnesses heat from under the ground via wells and pumps). A living roof made up of moss also dramatically improves thermal performance, helping keep energy needs low and simultaneously purifying rainwater and minimizing the runoff, reducing the amount that ends up in the sewers.
All of these contribute to The Joan’s success. From energy-efficient lifts to rainwater being used to flush the toilets, every detail has the environment nd the occupant firmly at the center of the picture.
The result is an astounding 83.17% BREEAM-NL score, one of the highest ‘Excellent’ ratings ever achieved, and making it into the top three ranking buildings in the country.
Another marker of the new office development’s success is how well it fits in with the environment around it—both artificial and natural—thanks to the detail in the workplace design phase. The land chosen was already being used, so no green space was sacrificed, and ecological features such as nesting boxes for bats and swallows were integrated, as well as the living roof providing habitats for plants and insects. For workers, The Joan is easily accessible by road, but proximity to public transport and cycle-friendly features like pathways and storage make greener travel much more attractive and realistic in comparison with many corporate workplaces not in city centers.
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