‘The transformation of this building is basically a form of social engineering’, Jaap de Koning suggests. ‘People can now connect with each other, with the Witteveen+Bos organisation, and with our projects.’ The building dates from 1975 and was both technically and aesthetically past its prime. Given the wish to introduce the PLUSworking concept throughout, and to create a showcase for our expertise in upgrading existing buildings to be more sustainable, a thorough renovation was necessary. Ambitions were high for Leeuwenbrug 27, which has a total office floorspace of some 7,500 m2. The technical installations must be as sustainable and innovative as possible. The workspaces should be appropriate to the way in which today’s highly skilled designers, engineers and consultants work, and the entire structure should be a showcase for our engineering and consultancy expertise. ‘We have achieved every one of those ambitions’, says Jaap. ‘The building has been made much more sustainable. We have cut our gas consumption by 100 % because we no longer use any gas at all. We have also halved our electricity consumption.’ René: ‘The new layout promotes cooperation and interaction. You can find your colleagues more easily. The more open appearance, with the large glass frontage on the ground floor, not only shows the outside world what we do but reflects the very character of Witteveen+Bos.’ The design for the renovation was largely the work of in-house staff. ‘This was a unique opportunity to achieve our own sustainability ambitions in our own building, while also developing and demonstrating new expertise’, Jaap continues. René adds to that: ‘The results are impressive. Take the TripleAqua heat
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