Vreugdenhil Dairy Foods Headquarter

The head office for Vreugdenhil Dairy Foods is a highly energy-efficient design with 2850 square meters working environment in Nijkerk, the Netherlands. Vreugdenhil Dairy Foods is since a few decades the leading international producer of full cream milk powder and column-based specialties for the food industry.
The design provides space for working, meeting- and conference rooms, a restaurant, lounge and support functions. Central themes on develop them where: identity, experience, interaction, new office concepts and flexibility.

The design has been developed with a focus on sustainability and the environment and has been awarded with a five-star BREEAM-NL Outstanding certification.

LOCATION
The site is located in the industrial area Arkerpoort, prominently situated near the A28 in Nijkerk.
The Arkerpoort is a roughly triangular area located between the Arkemheenweg, the A28 and the Verbindingsweg Nijkerk.
Because of its location, between these adjacent roads, the building is highly visible from the surrounding area, it has a round orientation and constitutes a major southwestern entrance of Nijkerk.

CONCEPT
The triangular building is projected on the plot in a way that the facades of the volume are not parallel with or perpendicular to the highway. Hereby the design has an all-sided, 180 degrees, orientation to the surrounding landscape and with any regard to nuisance caused by traffic noise, the highway is not made more prominent than it already is.
Workplaces and conference rooms are located on the upper floors, creating more distance from the highway and providing more height to the given program. An aspect which also strengthens the relationship between landscape, building and interior. From all workplaces and conference rooms on the upper floors there is visual relation with the surrounding landscape.

RECEPTION AREA / ATRIUM
All functional program components are situated around a central reception area, in the form of an atrium. Here one enters the office building and there is room for lobby and reception. Looking up into the atrium, several workplaces, meeting rooms and a gangway are to perceive. All connected by an elegant stairwell. This is the heart of a glass roofed atrium which acts as an informal social space, connecting the different floors. It encourages visitors to use the stairs instead of the lift as the main circulation route through the building.
From the central hall one can wander by a spiral staircase to the restaurant. This is allocated on a lower level the typical office floor, leaving the restaurant in direct, open relationship with lobby and reception. This also provides room for a sheltered outdoor or patio, located directly at the restaurant.
The lower stage of the staircase is highly accessible with alternate landings every two steps and the inner string of the staircase gradually builds from the lower stage to circle a decorative tree placed in the stair’s centre.
From the restaurant there’s a small staircase to the first floor. Workstations, conference- and meeting rooms are located on this floor. By placing them around the atrium, interaction is made possible by the layout of the floorplans. Distinctive for these floors is the bright, spacious, open and transparent nature. Panoramic views from different areas from the building are generated by a transparent facade. By increasing the ground of the adjacent terrain, there is the possibility to directly reach the outside area from the restaurant level on the first floor. The raising of the ground level is used to locate parking places, from both the building and the immediate area, withdrawn from direct view as far as possible.

MATERIALIZATION / FAÇADE
The facades of the office building are entirely executed in glass, partially structural glazed. Hereby, the building has an open, transparent and modern character. The glass facade is equipped with a screen print pattern which regulates the degree of transparency of the facade. At eye level the transparency is maximized, while at the floor level it is more closed. In detail the design of the façade aims for modern, smooth and clean presence, giving the building a product-related appearance and further underscoring the image of Vreugdenhil Dairy Foods.

Ventilation + Heat recovery

Shading system

High efficient façade

Photovoltaics

Rainwater harvesting

Grey Water Recycling

Water-saving sanitary appliances

Low-emitting materials and finishes

Environmentally friendly furniture

Innovative wastewater systems

Daylighting maximised

Energy Star equipment & appliances

Outdoor view maximised