“Gasunie is in a sustainability transition; a circular interior plays a major role in that.”
Gasunie
Gasunie is located in an iconic building in Groningen, which is recognized by many. But little has been done to the interior since it was built in 1993. The company decided to launch a pilot to make the interior suitable for today's work, while maintaining the true Gasunie DNA. On the eighth floor of the Gasunie building, renovated by Zwartwoud, Anne-Marijn Kamps (then Facility Center Project Manager) and Karst Wouda (director of Zwartwoud) spoke about the transformation that the Groningen company has undergone.
- Project Management
- Product development
- Production
- Turn-key realization
“Product development and circularity are very visible, but without good project management, you're nowhere.”
Anne-Marijn: In my role as project leader, I was closely involved in this pilot. That was quite a shift for us, because at Gasunie, everything is planned down to the last detail and preferably completed by our own experts. This time it was different: we brought in specialists from outside.
Karst: Zwartwoud was invited to participate in the tender for this pilot. Gasunie focused primarily on the plan of action and the degree of circularity. The design was created by architectural firm Vector-i: a transformation into the new way of working, 'Connect & Create'. In the new interior, employees would find a mix of energy, collaboration, and quiet.
Anne-Marijn: We wanted to work with true specialists. In particular, the plans and expertise regarding circularity that you demonstrated with Zwartwoud stood out significantly.
Karst: Vector-i really focused on the employees for their design: what do they need? This is how Gasunie transformed from a closed office environment to an open office space. And then it was up to us to make that as circular as possible, because Gasunie is in a sustainability transition.
Anne-Marijn: On the two floors that we transformed during this project, we wanted to create different types of spaces. Coffee corners where you can have a nice chat, flexible spaces where you can work together, and focus areas where you can find all the peace you need as an employee. For that concept to succeed, we had to convince a few people. After all, our employees were used to having their own dedicated spot in their own wing. By involving them deeply in the process and letting the employees decide what their department should look like, we succeeded. It was up to Zwartwoud to realize the design in the right way, and we succeeded.
Karst: The fact that there was a lot to figure out regarding circularity made this a large-scale project that ultimately went smoothly. If something wasn't quite right, we put our heads together and managed to solve it in no time. For me, transparency was the key word here. By communicating frequently and openly, every party knew where they stood. In addition, we deliberately chose to work with the contractor who already knows this building. That helped a lot, especially with the challenge of working as circularly as possible.
Anne-Marijn: In my opinion, Zwartwoud has really proven itself here. They understood what we wanted and were able to translate that into materials and design even during the tender phase. We noticed that they truly understood our challenge, and that proved to be the case in practice.
Karst: We have been working on circularity for about ten years. With this project, we were finally able to properly showcase our creativity and craftsmanship. And being able to serve an iconic company like Gasunie is, of course, extra special for us. This is a project for the ages, a landmark moment in our company's 100th anniversary. I am extremely proud of how smoothly this large and complex project went.
Before
After
Zwartwoud understood what we wanted and was able to depict that in materials and design even during the tender. We noticed that Zwartwoud really understood our issue, and that turned out to be quite the case in practice.
“Everything was delivered on time and on budget, and our employees are thrilled!”
Anne-Marijn: It was very streamlined. I’m renovating my own house, and I’ve noticed that things can be done differently, haha! Communication and collaboration are simply very important.
Karst: It feels like a huge compliment that Gasunie experienced it this way. Product development and circularity are two very visible aspects of our work, but you don’t see something like project management. That’s all happening behind the scenes. But without good project management, you’re nowhere. And we were able to demonstrate that well during this project.
Anne-Marijn: This didn’t feel like a classic client-contractor relationship. Things can always go wrong, but as long as you communicate clearly about it, it’s never a problem. In the end, everything was delivered on time and on budget. We are very happy about that. And our employees love the end result.
Karst: That may be the best thing to hear, probably for Vector-i as well. Of course, you can come up with ideas together, plan, and work everything out, but the employees still have to embrace the result. If they are satisfied, then the project is a success.
Anne-Marijn: For Gasunie, the enthusiasm of our colleagues was also a reason to extend this pilot to the rest of the building. This will happen through a new European tender. It’s interesting, because a lot is happening in the world—not just in the workplace, but also in sustainability. We are at a critical time in the Netherlands when it comes to energy supply. It is precisely here that we see we have all become too dependent on fossil fuels. That is why Gasunie must also become more sustainable as quickly as possible. For example, we are increasingly focusing on hydrogen. But if we want to make our core business more sustainable, we believe you should also reflect that in your way of working and the design of your work environment. That is why circularity was our top priority when it came to realizing the new interior.
It looks brand new, but it’s almost entirely made of recycled material. Furniture is made from old furniture, old window frames have been used for phone booths, and old mailboxes are now lockers. Isn’t that super cool?
Karst: If you use material from your own company, the DNA is preserved. Reuse requires extra creativity on our part, but that is exactly what makes us so enthusiastic. When it comes to circularity, people often think it’s expensive and cumbersome. But together with Gasunie and Vector-i, we have proven that this really doesn’t have to be the case.
Allart Vogelzang on the project
Allart is one of the partners at vector-i, the architectural firm that won the tender for the design of the new interior. vector-i develops architecture for the quality of life of future generations. With their sustainable ambitions, the company fit the bill perfectly.
Allart: “The architect has a great responsibility for the responsible use of materials in a construction project. For a project, materials come from everywhere, but they ultimately come from one person: the architect. As a result, the architect has a lot of influence on which materials are used. The fact that this project had to be as circular as possible was a fantastic opportunity for us. The concept of circularity was not as well known or established as it is today. The qualifications and assessments for circularity were still in their early stages. That made the challenge even greater. But based on mutual trust, it is easy to achieve. That was the key word for me during this project: trust. This is mainly about the intrinsic motivation of everyone involved to make something beautiful out of it, with an understanding of the (circular) ambitions and respect for each other and the project. We were completely transparent with each other and divided the work, looking at where everyone’s strengths lay. Respect for the design has always been paramount. The circular ambitions were of the utmost importance to all three parties (Gasunie, Zwartwoud, and vector-i).”
It is a successful circular project, and one of the first circular interior renovations in the Netherlands. It is an honor to work on this iconic building on the Groningen skyline. Zwartwoud and Vector-i share a commitment to circular ambitions. We all enjoyed working on this project. I would do it again!
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