ALYSON HEWUS

The Edge office building located in the Zuidas area of Amsterdam utilizes state of the art interactive technology and revolutionary design elements to create one of the most intelligent and sustainable buildings in the world. In a recent article published in the September 2015 issue of Bloomberg Business Week, the Edge is labeled as the "greenest building in the world." 

While the fact that The Edge has been awarded the highest rating of sustainability ever recorded (98.4 percent) by the British rating agency BREEAM is enough to justify the overwhelming recognition this building is receiving all over the world, it is actually the technology utilized by the structure that truly sets this building aside from any other corporate office in existence. 

The Edge is primarily home to Deloitte consulting firm, and supplies just over 2,500 employees with only 1,000 shared desks. The building's layout uses “hot desking,” a concept designed to encourage employee to build new relationships, increase the opportunity for chance interactions, and optimize efficiency of workable office space. The entire building relies on a smartphone app in order to operate in the most efficient and productive manner possible. The smartedge app begins working the moment employees enter the Deloitte property, directing employees where to park and where to sit, while adjusting light and temperature settings based on employee preference.

The exterior southern face of the Edge is constructed entirely of solar panels and windows while the majority of the north-facing exterior is all glass. Thick, load bearing concrete walls allow the Edge to regulate heating and cooling while recessed windows reduce the need for shades. The buildings architectural focal point, an angled cutout, allows sunlight to pour into the main atrium and workspaces while acting as a buffer to reduce noise pollution from the surrounding traffic and railway. The building also features state of the art, high efficient LED panels which connect to 28,000 sensors to generate a “digital ceiling” that functions like a brain controlling all aspects of the structure. LED lights are also found in the car garage where sensors control the brightening and dimming of parking spaces. Free chargers for electric vehicles are also available for all employees throughout the parking garage.

The technology continues to serve the Edge’s residents, monitoring employees' fitness progress and food choices. Various fitness stations go beyond that of a regular gym and actually utilize the energy generated from employees’ workouts to power the building’s main operating system. The advanced technological system also encompasses multiple security and cleaning features.

The atrium acts as a meeting space for countless employees and is the center of the Edge’s solar system. Air is moved throughout the atrium through mesh panels and enhanced with slight heat variations to create an open feel that mimic the outdoors.  

At the Edge, even rainwater is collected and reused to flush the building’s toilets and water the extensive garden beds. The Edge also works hard to protect the surrounding wildlife, featuring bat and bird boxes and creating a ecological corridor that benefits pollinating insects within the city.

The Edge is no doubt one of the world’s most sustainable and interesting buildings created to date. The technology systems it utilizes are revolutionary and can even be used to collect and evaluate data, which allows the building to conserve both energy and money. The Edge is a masterpiece designed to harvest the most efficient and high quality work from employees while maintaining the title of the world’s most environmentally sustainable corporate building.