Work happiness central

When Martin Buijtels of The Dutch Wave started talking to Driessen Group, he quickly knew what the project had to be. “Work happiness was actually the only assignment I was given by Driessen Group. Here is the parking lot, these are the buildings, make a connection. The only thing that connects us all is nature. That was right up our alley. We tackle many projects with high green ambitions. Driessen Group was a dream client for us in this, with which we were able to show what green and a good environment does to people. Our slogan is therefore 'Because mother nature is damn sexy!' The cool thing is that campus grounds also have an educational role for the people who work there. They take home the values of greenery and the right paving to apply in their own gardens,” says Martin.

Multifunctional square

At Driessen Group, people-oriented innovation and work happiness are high priorities. Marije de Greef, director of the Brainport Human Campus, says: “Doing cool things together that matter, that's how we look at work happiness. And especially that you can get together with your colleagues and with clients in a pleasant way. That translates on campus into meeting places surrounded by the work premises.” In addition, the grounds had to be suitable for many different occasions. Among other things, MBI provided customized concrete elements and paving: “We also created permanent meeting places on the square with the concrete elements where people can sit by the water or by the trees. We also strongly believe in organizing events to inspire people, for that we can transform the whole area. We have also created stages and food trucks can drive directly onto the site. The paving also takes this into account,” says Marije.

High green ambition

In addition to the multifunctionality and experience, there was a high green ambition for the campus from both client and architect. The high green ambition is also clearly reflected in the material choices: “With MBI, we chose to add nature to the paving. A simple way to do that is to add earth tones. But we went one step further. For example, the top layers of stones on the walkway are made from beach sandy soil to forest soil. To do this, we looked at the genius loci, or “the spirit of the place,” in this case Helmond. What does that tell us? We took inspiration from that for these top layers. MBI was very supportive,” says Martin. The campus site also provides space for water with the idea that (rain) water can infiltrate where it falls. MBI's water-passive paving was used for this purpose. Martin: “The main path is permeable. We also used semi-paved Olivine. This is a CO2 absorbing rock. This makes water drainage unnecessary throughout the site, because the entire site drains on its own. The site is also resistant to heavy traffic thanks to the water-level paving. And that is unique.”

Looking for real partners

“We started looking for suppliers who are real partners.” - Marije de Greef

To realize job happiness through a sustainable campus, we worked closely with all parties from the beginning: “Listen to the environment, the people who live or work there. Within the Driessen Group a survey with a wish list was conducted. That was the blueprint for this project. The people who work there have been very involved from the beginning. The design has been very much embraced. MBI has also been very involved at all stages of the project and has been proactive in their thinking. They were very open to our ideas, such as adding sand and forest soil to the paving. The nice thing about MBI is that the lines are very short and that you always have the specialist there. Good suppliers and subcontractors are very important to successfully realize these kinds of projects. The campus has been a real collaboration,” says Martin.

Future-oriented Human Campus

Brainport Human campus is designed with an eye on the future and plans for expansion are already underway, says Marije: “We previously had very little green space and no nice outdoor space, we wanted to change that. We also wanted to do something based on CSR. So how can we contribute to the environment by reducing heat stress, for example, but also encourage more greenery and biodiversity? In addition, the Driessen Group companies are growing fast. We have already developed four buildings and there is a plan for two more. How are you going to reconnect those with the rest of the campus in a responsible way? That offers new challenges. We keep a keen eye on the overall picture, CSR and ease of use,” says Marije.