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With its new EMEA headquarters near Amsterdam, the world-famous sports and lifestyle...
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The new AkzoNobel Center in Amsterdam has been awarded with a BREEAM Excellent certificate for new construction. Sustainability was not only a key focus point in the technical installations and the glass facade, but also in the interior that is made of sustainable materials. The different building floors are equipped with a wide range of floor finishes, with MOSO® Bamboo Supreme covering the ground floor. The look of the flooring contributes to the natural transition from outside to inside. In several meeting rooms the bamboo walls create a natural and light atmosphere.
AkzoNobel is one of the world’s leading industrial companies as a renowned paints and coatings company and a major producer of specialty chemicals. The company also plays a leading role in the field of sustainability, which is reflected in the design of their office building in Amsterdam. AkzoNobel, together with the architects, strove to obtain the achieved BREEAM-NL Excellent sustainability certificate during the planning phase.
The design of the exterior, interior and underground car park of the building was carried out by Group A architects. This resulted in a transparent and layered centre that exudes a contemporary vision, in which detailing, size, lines, colour and light lead to a balanced interplay. In particular, the use of the glass climate façade, with its various types of glass, causes reflection and refraction, creating an interesting play of lights. The use of natural building materials, such as sustainable bamboo on the ground floor and other sustainable woods, dominate the atmosphere.
Two interconnected atrium areas form the heart of the building’s interior. The first atrium extends over the public ground floor and the semi-public first floor. The ground floor is also called ‘AkzoNobel Experience’ and includes the entrance, the reception, the restaurant and the Art Space, in which artwork from the AkzoNobel corporate collection is exhibited.
On the ground floor and also in the meeting rooms of the first floor, bamboo was used as flooring in the form of Bamboo Supreme and wall coverings made of MOSO® Bamboo Veneer. The natural material, with its warm appearance which is also an innovatively engineered material, forms a background on which the exhibited art can shine beautifully. The interior design, with its round shapes, reflects the exterior of the building, creating a natural unity between inside and outside. The bamboo adapts harmoniously to these forms.
The choice of sustainable bamboo products, in addition to the use of solar panels, the double-glazed climate façade and a ground-coupled heat exchanger, has added to the achievement of the BREAAM-NL Excellent certificate. Since the AkzoNobel Experience is open to the public and serves as a transparent reception and meeting point, an inviting design in this area was particularly important. The Art Space in particular attracts many visitors and should therefore also support a healthy room climate and a feel-good atmosphere. Bamboo was therefore the material of choice.
Worldwide we have many inspirational stories where bamboo was taken to another level and we developed innovation solutions for customers. Be inspired by them here:
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Get in touch with the MOSO® Bamboo expert who knows all about bamboo flooring applications.
Edwin van Houten
Area Sales Manager Moso International BV, the Netherlands
