The Edge, Amsterdam: a sensor-filled office
The Edge is an office building in the Zuidas business district of Amsterdam. It houses Deloitte's Dutch headquarters and became known for its record sustainability score and the thousands of sensors that help run it, a widely cited example of sustainable office design.
Key facts
| Address | Gustav Mahlerlaan 2970, Amsterdam, Netherlands |
|---|---|
| Architect | PLP Architecture |
| Main tenant | Deloitte (Dutch headquarters) |
| Built | Construction started 2012; completed 2014 to 2015 (sources differ) |
| Size | 15 floors; gross floor area about 40,000 m² |
| Sustainability | A record BREEAM score of about 98.4% when assessed |
| Smart building | About 28,000 sensors, many built into the lights |
| Energy | Solar panels on the building |
Figures as reported in the Wikipedia article on The Edge, Bloomberg's 2015 feature on the building and PLP Architecture's project page. Sources give slightly different sensor counts.
How the design works
- Sensors in the lights. Sensors track presence, light and temperature, so lights and climate respond to how the floor is used.
- Shared desks. Bloomberg's 2015 feature reported about 2,500 Deloitte staff sharing roughly 1,000 desks. People pick a place to work for the day, a pattern now common in hybrid offices.
- Space to meet, not just desks. The architect has said that about a quarter of the building is not desk space but places to meet.
What a smaller office can borrow
- Plan for the busiest day. If people are not all in at once, size desks for your peak. Our office space calculator lets you set a desk-to-person ratio.
- Add simple sensors. Motion sensors for lights in meeting rooms and washrooms are cheap and save energy.
- Measure before you change. Count how many desks and rooms are used on real days before you shrink or grow.
Visiting
The Edge is a private office building. It is not open to the public.
Frequently asked questions
Who designed The Edge in Amsterdam?
PLP Architecture.
Why is The Edge called a smart building?
It has about 28,000 sensors that help control lighting and climate based on how the space is used.
How big is The Edge?
About 40,000 m² gross floor area over 15 floors.
Who works in The Edge?
Deloitte's Dutch headquarters is in the building.
