THE NEW GREEN HEAD QUATER

The energy consumption of the new building is low thanks to sun-resistant facades, insulating triple glazing and energy-efficient LED lighting. Solar panels are located on the entire roof, and even the atrium roof contains solar cells. The building is connected to a heat pump and uses heat and cold storage (WKO). Thanks to the design, there is a Breeam Excellent design certificate.
The new building is designed for changing use in the future. For example, the layout of the flexible working environment can easily be changed. Any building expansion is also easy by placing extra floors in the 'Green Plazas'.

Green, public spaces, the so-called 'Green Plazas', connect employees and visitors. These spaces, interconnected and always linked to two office floors, are designed as an inner garden and function as the central meeting place. They form the connecting link between work areas within the new head office. These high, spacious meeting places are designed for informal collaboration. The large glass surfaces allow plenty of daylight into the building and provide a beautiful view of the green surroundings. The building unfolds in a different way on each floor.

The interior, the innovative working environment, was designed in close collaboration with the users and M+R interior architecture during various co-creation work sessions. To develop the innovative working areas, M+R used 3D models, among other things, with which the employees were allowed to design the ideal working environment.

For the interior, M+R used sustainable materials as much as possible. The slatted walls on the work floors, which contribute to optimal acoustics (were to be made from the wooden facade parts of the old head office, but this building will not be demolished but repurposed) are made of sustainably grown oak. The wall finish is made of felt in natural shades. In addition to the sustainable materials, M+R made maximum use of existing furniture that has been refurbished and provided with new sustainable upholstery. For example, existing tables have been made suitable again by providing the table tops with a unique print.

In line with the innovative working environment on the '4 work floors', M+R designed the representative spaces such as the restaurant; the meeting rooms, the living rooms; the conference centre, the boardroom and an auditorium with a capacity of 170 people. Mainly sustainable materials have been used here. The challenge for us was that the wooded surroundings, the building and the interior merge seamlessly into each other; a complete synthesis of the architecture with the interior, timeless, innovative and sustainable. The entire building is like a ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ in which the applications of Canon’s printing technology have been translated into parts of the interior. As a visual element, the X-frames in the building and the wooded surroundings have been translated into a graphic image for, among other things, printing the special curtains and the privacy film. M+R has developed a complete manual for the ‘customer journey’ for the project, based on Canon’s corporate identity. Part of this is the signage of the entire site and the head office; here, the past, present and future have been translated into the building. On the site, a forest walk is part of the whole with sculptures from Canon’s art collection and a script has been created for the application of art in the interior.