Witteveen+Bos moves into new office in Rotterdam

‘Engineering work is a wonderful instrument for solving societal issues. It allows us, for instance, to contribute to a better living environment for everybody. This means sustainable solutions for society, customer value for our clients,and talent development opportunities for our employees,’ says Stephan van der Biezen, since 2017 the director of Witteveen+Bos. ‘When we were looking for a suitabel office location, Rotterdam was chosen for strategic reasons. Today’s societal challenges require modernisation and innovation. To achieve this we need cooperation and a different way of thinking. The choice for Rotterdam is obvious: it is an enterprising city with good educational opportunities, it is a city where many of our clients are located, and it has a high-quality knowledge infrastructure. Characteristic for our Rotterdam company culture is that everybody participates on an equal footing, from intern to site manager, in an amicable and hospitable atmosphere. Many (international) students graduated at Witteveen+Bos in Rotterdam. Some of them decided to stay. Others hold dear memories of the time they spent with us and take their knowledge across the world to new employers.’

In the past few years, Witteveen+Bos has worked, in collaboration with the Port of Rotterdam Authority, on developing an Offshore Centre in Maasvlakte II. This offshore hub accommodates suppliers and constructors for marine wind power and companies that are active in dismantling oil and gas rigs. Commissioned by project organisation PUMA, Witteveen+Bos has made a major contribution to developing Maasvlakte II as a civil engineering project. Outside the Netherlands, there are some great projects where collaboration is central as well: together with the Indonesian research institute for water, the municipality of Semarang, the International Institute for Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering (IHE) in Delft, and the water board (Hoogheemraadschap) of Schieland and Krimpenerwaard. Witteveen+Bos has designed a polder and founded a water board for the city of Semarang. Semarang is facing increasing soil subsidence. Meanwhile, the polder has been realised, and consequently the water management and living conditions in this area of approximately 85,000 people are improving. ‘With our (Rotterdam regional) stakeholders we want to contribute to societal, ecological and economic progress at regional, national and international levels,’ Aalberts explains.

Blaak 16, a building that dates back to the 1970s, has recently been completely renovated. The building is a showpiece of how to turn an old office into a sustainable, innovative office. The social added value is in the sustainable nature of redevelopment, such as façade insulation, LED lighting, and heating and cooling by means of a heat and cold storage system. The building has a BREEAM Excellent sustainability score and a WELL GOLD certificate issued by the Well Building Institute.
 

Are you curious about what the new office looks like? Take a look below!