New building in the Netherlands

Over the last five years M&M in the Netherlands saw a greater and greater need for extended capacity and space. This was in order to fulfill the increasing demand for M&M machines and for the development of new technology planned by M&M. A new building is well under way to completion.

Because M&M is not a rigid organization, it’s new building had to be able to support the creative, changing teamwork and structures within the organization. A contradiction because a building in itself is a rigid construction: making it flexible proved quite a challenge. Furthermore, the building had to be designed to comply with a low operational cost target.
The renowned Dutch architect Jurrien de Mik has created a design that functions as a landmark along the European expressway (E 31 Rotterdam – Cologne) between the largest harbor in the world and the eastern part of Europe. At the same time this design matches the demands of flexibility and efficiency of M&M, and creates an inspiring working environment for M&M club members.
Separate spaces can be transformed or moved within the building in less that half an hour. In this way every square foot is used regardless of the team-configuration or project-phase of an order. This reduces the operational cost of the building.

The Dutch government has awarded this building the title of model-project for the reduction of CO2. In addition the building uses a minimum of natural resources. The choice of materials is matched with a demand of the lowest possible emission of CO2 to our atmosphere, therefore reducing the greenhouse effect. The energy efficiency of this building is focused on reducing the energy consumption for cooling and heating almost without compromise to the aesthetic quality of the design.
As an example of this energy efficiency: the building enables the transmission of temperature ‘packages’ from warm (south) facades to rooms at he north of the building and vice versa without the use of large tubes to transport air. These combined environmental aspects result in extremely low operational cost.

If anybody had doubts about M&M’s ability creativity and innovational skills go beyond the development of their technology this building shows that these skills are embedded deeper in the Organization than one would assume. Innovation is in our genes.