Planon opens new Innovation Campus at its thriving headquarters

6 July, 2021 – On 2 July, Planon officially opened its state-of-the-art Innovation Campus in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. This spacious, smart and sustainable office building is a valuable addition to Planon’s headquarters in Nijmegen. It is a testament to the company’s expertise, capabilities and vision, showcasing the office of the 21st century.

Planon is a market leader in the digitalisation of building management activities, with extensive global expertise and over 3,250 renowned customers worldwide. Being very much aware of past, more recent and future challenges for office environments, Planon is a firm advocate for the importance of developing a workplace that is both sustainable and encompasses forward-thinking technological capabilities. The company’s insights, knowledge and vision culminated in the establishment of an ‘Innovation Campus’ when Planon acquired a building adjacent to its headquarters.

The goal behind the transformation of this existing building was to create an environment that inspired collaboration as well as research and development on building and workplace technology.

The Innovation Campus also hosts a large, newly constructed ‘biophilic’ greenhouse - built of glass and steel - which serves as a connection between the current headquarters and the new building, and provides an aesthetically-pleasing and inviting green meeting area: the Planon Jungle. The Innovation Campus also offers features such as a bar, a gym and a vegetable garden to promote social interaction, health and well-being.

Energy-neutral

The use of solar panels, heat pumps and a planned aquifer thermal energy storage system within the facility, ensures that the building can almost be energy neutral. The Dutch central government aims to create a completely energy-neutral environment by 2050, and Planon is determined to stay at least one step ahead.

‘Planon is growing at a rate of 15 to 20 percent annually and our team is rapidly expanding,’ said Pierre Guelen, CEO of Planon. ‘We are committed to keeping our employees a top priority, and believe that our Innovation Campus can inspire and motivate our community in new and exciting ways.’

‘Even after the COVID-19 pandemic, many people will continue to work from home,’ he continued. ‘When they do come into the office, we at Planon strive to make this an enjoyable experience filled with stimulating opportunities to collaborate, innovate and celebrate our successes – the office as a clubhouse. We want our people to think: “Great, today is an office day!”’

‘Research shows that happy and satisfied employees are more creative and productive,’ said Wanda Stoop-Zijlstra, VP Human Resources at Planon. ‘This is why we place high importance on the well-being of our colleagues, and continue investing in new ways to stimulate motivation, such as through our Innovation Campus. We’re excited to see how this inspires our community.’

The Office as Living Lab

‘Our new campus breathes innovation,’ said Rick Coenen, Manager, Innovation Lab at Planon. ‘It is filled with the latest building and workplace technologies, including sensors that are designed to continuously measure building use and health characteristics. This not only contributes to creating a healthy and sustainable workplace, but it also helps to optimise maintenance and cleaning activities. Thanks to real-time insight we are, for example, able to clean only those offices and meeting rooms that have actually been used. Data plays a crucial role in our smart campus.

The office is a Living Lab, allowing us to show what is possible today and to create possibilities for the future in the field of innovative building technology. Everything revolves around testing new ideas and experimenting with new and existing technologies. We do this together with start-ups, students, and with our clients and partners, fostering collaboration and co-creation.’