Clear communication and decisive action: how we pulled off the FM Haaglanden Ringen project
FM Haaglanden - Rijkswaterstaat
A green environment with various types of seating for lunching, meeting, or focused work. In the background, the sound of birds chirping. With the request to redesign a number of spaces, the Ringen project at FM Haaglanden was born. Three locations were renovated: De Resident, Turfmarkt, and Beatrixpark. Andrea de Vries (Project Manager for Advice and Projects at FM Haaglanden) and Marco Drijfhout (Account Manager at Zwartwoud) are on-site at Beatrixpark to discuss the realization of this beautiful green project.
- Project management
- Product development
- Production
- Turnkey delivery
'It was quite nerve-wracking, as the intention was to roll out three buildings all at once. And all within a very short timeframe.'
Andrea: I was tasked with furnishing spaces in three of our buildings, together with Zwartwoud, Gispen, and Hydrozorg. And I think it turned out beautifully. We asked Zwartwoud to take on the custom work for all three buildings. It was quite nerve-wracking, as the intention was to roll out three buildings all at once. And all within a very short timeframe.
Marco: FM Haaglanden is one of the participants covered by our framework agreement with Rijkswaterstaat. When we met for this project, the urgency was immediately clear: it was high. You told us, ‘This has to succeed; we at FM Haaglanden have been working for so long to get the users on board that there is no turning back now.’ We told you then: we are going to make this happen, one way or another. And in the end, we succeeded.
Andrea: For us, the project started with the question: ‘We have a certain amount of square footage in these buildings; how can we use it differently?’ That question also stems from hybrid working, which is, of course, perfectly suited to the times. This space, for example, used to be a lounge, so it had a completely different function.
Marco: The intention behind the three different spaces was to bring people back together. After working from home due to COVID, people need a bit more encouragement to come into the office. FM Haaglanden wanted to achieve this by offering a pleasant, hybrid workspace.
Andrea: Exactly. You can start your day here, come here for lunch, or settle in at the end of the day. But it’s not a workspace for the entire day.
Circularity is important to FM Haaglanden. We always look to see if something can be repurposed first. We were able to apply that effectively at Turfmarkt and Resident. It also means that all the furniture removed from our buildings is taken to storage so it can be used again in another building later. It was very pleasant for us to work with Zwartwoud in the context of circularity, because you understand our wishes and ideas.
'De meerwaarde van Zwartwoud zit hem voor ons in de kleine dingen, de wendbaarheid. Daarnaast heeft Zwartwoud natuurlijk veel verstand van zaken en dat vind ik heel prettig. Het ontzorgen.'
'There was some initial resistance—"why is this necessary?"—but now there is a lot of enthusiasm. It all fits together very well.'
Marco: A requirement of our framework agreement with Rijkswaterstaat, which FM Haaglanden falls under, is that for every project we receive under the agreement, we investigate how to make it as circular as possible. Due to time constraints, we made very conscious choices about where to optimally implement circularity. Where reuse proved difficult, we looked at the next step: selecting materials with a high circular content.
Andrea: If we had had more time, we would have implemented more reuse. Such a process is also immediately very educational: next time, we will start earlier wherever possible.
Marco: That is the beauty of this being a pilot. You learn where you can strengthen each other even more in the process and what is needed for that. And fortunately, even with these time constraints, we achieved great circular results.
Andrea: Yes, at De Turfmarkt we had you completely reupholster the red sofa, and at Resident, we have a table made from doors. That’s also a nice story to be able to tell the users.
Marco: As mentioned, we are doing several projects within the contract with Rijkswaterstaat, and this was truly a project that gets you excited. Like: hey, this is fun!
Andrea: The employees were involved in sessions beforehand to explain exactly what we were going to do. There was some initial resistance—"why is this necessary?"—but now there is a lot of enthusiasm. It all fits together very well.
I am very satisfied with Zwartwoud. Both with the project managers, Jill and Herman, and with the installation team. Nothing was too much trouble for them; they walked around with a smile on their faces every day. I love that.
Marco: They really are the true ambassadors. You can do so many things right during the process, but the work only becomes truly visible when the job is finally finished on-site.
Andrea: Exactly, and we had a few things that fell into a grey area, like hanging lights. Zwartwoud took care of that without any issues. That was great.
Marco: Ultimately, you have to ensure a project gets finished, and that’s what we all commit to together.
Andrea: We occasionally faced quite a challenge regarding whether it would be finished on time, but we would call each other and be open about it. Clear communication is something I really value. And pushing through together to get it done.
Marco: Communication is what’s needed to be able to pivot together in time, and we handled that well during this project. We also needed a lot of contact with Hydrozorg and Gispen, and that went very well.
Andrea: It all started during the Lean session we organized at the beginning of the project, where we had all parties at the table. A significant part of the schedule was already set by the end of that session.
For us, the added value of Zwartwoud lies in the small things, the agility. Besides that, Zwartwoud obviously has a lot of expertise, which I find very reassuring. The peace of mind they provide.
Marco: I think it’s great that during this project we all said: the urgency is clear and the realization isn't actually feasible in such a short time, but we’re just going to go for it. Pivoting and saying: this is outside our standard procedures, but we’re going to make it happen together.
Andrea: I am most proud of everything we achieved together as a team. That includes not just Zwartwoud, but also Gispen and Hydrozorg.
Marco: It was just a very pleasant collaboration.
Andrea: This was the pilot in the North. I would like to see a follow-up, but exactly how that will take shape has not yet been determined.
Marco: We have established a solid foundation together for the future.
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