EDGE Technologies, Netherlands

Amsterdam | Netherlands | Lmi 81.7

In 2015, real estate developer EDGE Technologies’ groundbreaking new building,
The Edge, was hailed by commentators as the ‘smartest office space ever constructed.’ In 2018 they unveiled their new head office in EDGE Olympic, a new 11,000m2 building in Amsterdam’s central business district. As a building supporting a digital infrastructure of unprecedented capabilities, EDGE Olympic is truly the next generation of smart workplaces that has been built around the employee’s needs. Sandra Gritti, Product Excellence Director at EDGE, explains: “We are focusing on the health and wellbeing of tenants…We are fighting two problems – global warming and the need for better workplaces – and we approach these through the technology and the design of our buildings.”

As part of that mission EDGE gained comprehensive insights into their employees’ workplace experience through pre-and post-occupancy surveys conducted by Leesman in 2019. EDGE’s HQ scored an impressive Lmi of 81.7, earning it a Leesman+ certificate. Respondents agreed almost unanimously that the building is a place that they are proud to bring visitors to (97.8%) as well as an enjoyable environment to work in (96.7%). This achievement adds to the project’s WELL V2 Platinum certification, which scores workplaces on areas including water, nourishment, light, movement, thermal comfort, sound, materials, mind and community.

For Florijn Vriend, Product Lead Wellbeing at EDGE, boosting social interaction was of the upmost importance: “We truly believe that interaction in the workplace is of extensive value, but only when it occurs at the right time and place,” she explains. “Today’s office worker needs to get focused work done, alone.”

EDGE Olympic is a workplace that has these principles embedded in its design. The building offers a solid variety of spaces so that people can withdraw from the hustle and bustle of the office when they need to focus. And this strategy is clearly working. Satisfaction with ‘Individual focused work, desk based’ climbed a massive 69.8 percentage points from the previous workplace to EDGE Olympic (26.7% to 96.5%).

Meanwhile, employees’ sense of personal wellbeing also improved substantially. This was made possible by a series of purposeful additions to the new workplace: different zones to match employees’ needs; open office space that boasts strong acoustic performance; a library for those who want to focus; an informal kitchen area; phonebooths for private conversations; and even a soundscaping area that plays natural sounds. The results speak for themselves. Satisfaction with ‘Noise levels’ has surged from a meagre 7.1% to 68.1%, while ‘Air quality’ and ‘Natural light’ both now sit above 70%.