More and more prestigious companies are setting up in the immediate vicinity of major airports. This is the case of the new headquarters of KPMG. The auditing, accounting and consulting firm occupies nine floors of the PassPort Building of Brussels Airport, in fact. Designed and equipped by Alternativ, the offices give pride of place to the quality of life at work and to ecology, without forgetting modern technologies, however. The breath-taking view of the runways gives employees wing!
KPMG is a dynamic company with a penchant for well thought out office premises. The firm wanted to move in to the Post X site in Antwerp-Berchem, in 4000 m² ecological premises, not far from the ring road and the train station. And when KPMG decided to relocate its Brussels offices, it opted for the PassPort building at Brussels Airport, attracted by the mobility and accessibility offered by the airport site, which is hands down the New Place to Work!
Alternativ managed the relocations of both entities, in a very short timeframe. “The success of these relocations lies in the climate of trust and dialogue we have manged to establish with the Alternativ teams from the outset,” says a delighted Ingrid Sitters, Director of Facilities at KPMG Belgium.
Greener headquarters
Imaginez 12.000 mètres carrés de Imagine 12,000 square metres of offices housed in a glittering glass building.
The employees can benefit fully from natural light, which is not only more ecological but enhances working comfort.
A gigantic atrium invites nature indoors – a biophilic bias that does wonders for their health and provides a stimulating interlude during the work day.
Christened Passport, the building was graded Very Good BREEAM which stands for Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method.
Investing in such a building means being aware of the need to reduce mankind’s footprint on the planet considerably.
That is why Alternativ opted to move to offices built mainly with sustainable materials.
A decidedly positive Look & Feel
Ever responsive to KPMG’s aspirations for comfort at work, Alternativ proposed a new way of working by creating work spaces that meet the different needs of employees in the course of the same day. Some sterling examples? An open space yes, but on a human scale, that allows for a closed office, work areas dedicated to individual or partner work, areas for socialization (coffee corner, area for holding events), etc.
Aware that exercise has a positive effect on productivity at the office, KPMG opted for adjustable desks and for “Gesture” (steelcase) desk chairs inspired by the movements of the human body – a chair designed to serve as interface between the human body and new technologies.
And speaking of new technologies, sharing screens and documents, and audio and video conferencing are actually means of communication that will make interactions in the company smoother – precisely the reason why Alternativ equipped all the rooms with touchscreens.
Ingrid Sitters, Director of Facilities at KPMG Belgium, is delighted with this cooperation with Alternativ, and underscores the acumen of the teams: the creation of an up-to-date, efficient and inspiring work space perfectly in tune with the company’s philosophy.
