For over 90 years, the Dutch company SABA has been developing and producing high-quality adhesives and sealants for construction and industrial applications. The company's over 180 employees work from locations in Germany, the United States, Poland, Australia, Romania, and China. SABA was previously spread across two locations in the Netherlands, its home country. In an effort to centralise all headquarter operations, a new complex designed by Te Kiefte Architecten consolidates production, offices, and laboratories into a single address in the city of Dinxperlo. The grand opening of the head office in 2022 was celebrated alongside employees from all around the world as well as an open day for the public.
Energy Efficiency for Sustainable Headquarters
Sustainability is a key part of SABA's production processes, with its ecological strategy primarily led by Goal 9 and Goal 12 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The construction and operation of its head office needed to play a part in these efforts. Thanks to the use of 1812 solar panels, roof plants, and a smart climate system, the office is energy-neutral and largely meets the energy needs of both the office and the adjacent production facility.
The heat pump is the heart of the system and provides both heating and cooling. Smart control technology uses pipe systems to distribute existing temperatures before relying on the heat pump, significantly reducing energy use.
Acoustic Solutions that Enhance the Sustainable Headquarters
A variety of rich, natural materials were used across the interiors for biophilic office design efforts, creating a feeling of lightness and spaciousness. Completing such a nature-inspired colour and material palette, the architects selected Rockfon Color-all acoustic ceiling tiles in Seaweed, a dark green that is one of 34 exclusive shades available for the colourful range. The acoustic solution controls excess indoor noise by reducing reverberation, resulting in excellent office acoustics so that staff can concentrate and work comfortably.
Rockfon Color-all is Cradle to Cradle Certified® at the Silver level and is delivered with an Environmental Product Declaration that provides clarity on its sustainability performance, which assisted in its specification for the offices. The tiles were installed into a matching Chicago Metallic grid and T15 profiles.
"These extra narrow profiles make the lines as subtle as possible. This requires more precision when installing the ceilings but has led to a particularly beautiful end result", says Esther Mijnen-Arentz, work planner and project manager at Fleurbaaij, who installed the solutions. White acoustic ceiling tiles such as Rockfon Pallas were installed in other areas throughout the building.
The timber-frame construction with high ceilings on both floors initially posed challenges. "During preparation, we had to think carefully about the suspension of the ceiling. How do you hang a suspended ceiling if the roof floor – the floor under which the suspended ceiling will hang – slopes in two directions?", adds Esther Mijnen-Arentz.
They had to be placed at an angle with an extra narrow suspension profile. "This worked out very well. And BMN, our Rockfon dealer, provided the necessary support to deliver all materials within a tight schedule".
