Henry Steel*, a new partner of HOYEZ in Belgium, has set out 2,400 m2 of office space for Jacobs Douwe Egberts, one of the leaders in the coffee industry. For this project, the aesthetic choice was for a look that was both cosy and raw. Regarding the technical choices for the partition and doors, the main objective can be summarised in two words: elegance (of the profiles!) and acoustic.
The Jacobs Douwe Egberts Coffee project
Jacobs Douwe Egberts. Perhaps this name means nothing to you. However, it is one of the global giants in the coffee industry, which owns notably the Tassimo, Senseo, Maison du Café, Jacques Vabre, L’Or and Café Grand-Mère brands. Recently, the firm Colliers International was awarded the project to set out its new Head Office for Belgium and Luxembourg.
Located close to the Atomium in Brussels, the Belgian-Luxembourg headquarters of Jacobs Douwe Egberts is located on a single level of 2,400 m2. The immense area had to be totally set out as open-space dotted with ‘bubble’ meeting rooms or rooms with more generous dimensions.
Interior designers at Colliers International imagined an industrial design concept that evoked the world of coffee, with a warm and cosy welcome, and completely transparent work spaces. They entrusted Henry Steel with implementation of the project.
When you enter Jacobs Douwe Egberts in Brussels, you are not walking into offices, you are entering the intimate world of coffee. Everything here evokes the warmth of the delicious hot drink, from the collection of coffee machines exhibited in the reception area to the lights hanging from the ceiling.
H7 Transparence – Tertial door : Naturally acoustic Alliance
‘We really wanted people to feel like they were walking through the door to a coffee bar’, explains Bruno Meert, interior designer at Colliers International. ‘Our project consisted of combining cosy and contemporary materials with black, industrial style partitioning that provides maximum transparency for meeting rooms’.
Therefore, all the offices are organised as open-space. Only the meeting rooms are sectioned off with transparent partitions, so everyone can know what is happening in the company. ‘We have simply added film coating at eye level so people in meetings are not too distracted by the comings and goings of colleagues’, states Bruno Meert.
The confidentiality of discussions is guaranteed by the acoustic qualities of H7 Transparence partitions combined with Tertial doors. ’We chose these doors because their elegant aluminium frame adds to the light weight and attractive appearance we were looking for, while providing the acoustic performance of the whole’, states Hein Vantomme, in charge of the project at Henry Steel.
The new Tertial doors, equipped with European cylinder locks, also add to the industrial appearance of the site. ‘The association of the elegant structure, together with the casing that houses the door furniture, exactly matches what we were searching for in terms of the look’, approves Bruno Meert.
Moreover, the European cylinder locks mean a hierarchical key system can be fitted. Therefore, each lock has its own key, but it can also be opened using one or several other keys for practical reasons. Even better is the system for Human Resources, where access is limited to the department staff: the Tertial doors are equipped with electric latches that open using the badges given to employees. ‘Besides all these practical uses, the doors add a really different feel to the whole, one that is fun, retro and industrial, to heighten the cosy and family effect we wanted to give to the premises’ concludes Bruno Meert.
The view of the distributor & installer
Hein Vantomme, interior designer at Henry Steel*
‘When Colliers International asked us to take on this project, we were looking for new partitions. The client had high expectations in terms of soundproofing and transparency. We selected H7 Transparence partitions with edge to edge double glazing, which enabled us to meet the specifications perfectly. We have improved the aesthetics with Tertial doors that improve the acoustics considerably in comparison with traditional glassdoors. They are strong and well-finished, while they can be installed easily and rapidly. For a refined finish, we alsofitted an H Frame that we integrated with wooden doors: this frame, delivered already prepared and lacquered, was a very practical, rapid and attractive solution that saved us precious time in this project, as we had time constraints. This was the first time we have worked with hOyez products and we are delighted’.
Hoyez 11/2018
JDE
Brussel
