Alfa Laval, office hub, Aalborg

High-teach, sustainable and environmentally-aware office facility with maritime identity

Categories

  • Corporate
  • Workplace design

Location

Aalborg, Denmark

Year

2013 – 2015

Status

Completed

Size

5,800 m²

Client(s)

Alfa Laval, TK Development

Team

OBH Ingeniørerne, Gråkjær, Pension Danmark

Sustainability

DGNB cerfification (Gold)

PLH was awarded the commission for a new office facility for Alfa Laval, Aalborg A/S in limited competition, and the company’s 300 employees took occupancy of the new building in 2015.

Alfa Laval is a leading Danish producer of components to the shipping industry and, given the company’s location in the industrial harbour town of Aalborg, it was natural for us to capture this maritime identity in the design of their new offices. Nautical references are present throughout the building. The long white, horizontal bands in the façade mark the office floors, where uninterrupted views over the water bring to mind the deck of a ship, while the terraces surrounding the office floors in the atrium allude to the “bridges” of a ship and provide an overview of the building’s interior.

The new office brings employees together in a bright, friendly and straightforward building, where all feel welcome regardless of where their workplaces are situated. Flow and flexibility are the key themes of the layout design; this provides an openness that invites employees to circulate throughout the building, and allows for ease in adapting the workplace as new needs arise. This variety in formal and informal meeting rooms, and various other spots where people can gather, supports the activities and work patterns of the different departments. In addition, the building also offers lounge areas where informal meetings with external guests can be held.

Contact:
Søren Mølbak
+ 45 2720 0591
sm@plh.dk

In both the design and construction phases a great deal of focus was placed on developing a building that fully supported Alfa Laval’s identity as a high-tech, sustainable and environmentally-aware company. Therefore, a number of energy reducing measures have been integrated in the building design, such as solar panels, automatic sun screens, LED-lighting and an automated building management system. Sustainable solutions have also been used to ensure a sound indoor climate to provide employees with a healthy and stimulating work environment, both visually – by optimizing natural and artificial lighting, as well as acoustically – through the use of sound absorbing materials to reduce noise and sound transmission.

As a result of these efforts, Alfa Laval’s new office was the first building in North Jutland to receive DGNB gold certification.

Timelapse