FOSS Innovation Centre

Foss Allé 1DK-3400 HilleroedDenmark

Tel.: +45 7010 3370Fax: +45 7010 3371

info@foss.dkwww.foss.dk

Foto: John Jessen Hansen Foto: John Jessen Hansen

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Architecture coming alive

”The new Innovation Centre is a cornerstone in our growth strategy. We want to inspire to new standards of innovative behaviour created in an open, flexible and multi-purpose environment“, says Torben Ladegaard, CEO at FOSS.

An open, creative environment

When you look around the FOSS Innovation Centre, it has come alive with people, just as imagined four years ago.

At that time FOSS realized that space was getting scarce in the FOSS buildings in Hillerød. As a result Peter Foss, CEO at that time now Chairman, Torben Ladegaard, COO at that time now CEO and Tue Byskov Bøtkjær, Senior Vice President, looked into the option for expansion. This option showed not to be profitable, and then the best way to secure future expansion of FOSS would be to build new headquarters, which Tue Byskov Bøtkjær assumed responsibility for as project manager.

More than 25 reference buildings were visited in the process, where it became very clear to Tue Byskov Bøtkjær, Peter Foss and Torben Ladegaard, that new headquarters was not only an option to expand, it was also an opportunity to create a new work-ing environment at FOSS. Many of the visited reference buildings were constructed around open work spaces, and talking with specialists in this area it was concluded that an open work space could act as a frame for a higher level of collaboration, both within and across departments. A working environment like this could aspire to new thinking and new ideas.

FOSS chose Sahl Architects A/S for the architectural design of FOSS Innovation Centre, as they had some very interesting thoughts about the balance between the architectural perspective, the aesthetic and the functionality of the design. Material choice for the facades was another important decision and a trip to Rome to select the right travertine was part of the process. For FOSS the main purpose of an office building is first and foremost to create a good working environment, and therefore the goal was to find the perfect combination of the two parts; functionality and architectural design. These ideas were very much in line with the architectural design suggestion from Sahl Architects A/S.

As FOSS Innovation Centre stands finished today on the ground in Hillerød, the building has manifested our original ideas. We hope that you will enjoy this brochure about our new working place, as much as we enjoy working here.

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About FOSS Innovation Centre

The new 12,000 m2 FOSS Innovation Centre is situated in Hillerød on a 10 hectares site with room for more than 300 employees. The building is designed by Sahl Architects A/S in cooperation with Viborg Ingeniørerne A/S, which also had the full responsibility for the construction of the building. The interior design company, Formsprog, has been responsible for the building interior and the colour design.

By building the new Innovation Centre in Hillerød, FOSS has chosen to strengthen the presence in Denmark and the Innovation Centre is located close to the cur-rent production facilities to ensure optimal collaboration between innovation and production.

The design of FOSS Innovation Centre is constructed around 4 stabilizing cores in the corners of the diamond shaped building, with a large atrium in the middle and a large staircase as the main design elements. The facade opens up in double floor height to the scenic views, like Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød. The building includes a mixture of common feature areas, laboratories, test rooms, open work space, meeting rooms, dialogue rooms, the canteen and a large auditorium.

The construction work was officially opened by then Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen on the 19th of May 2011.

The building is officially opened by his Royal Highness the Crown Prince 3rd of April 2013.

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Transparency

When entering the building, you experience a well-lit and very transparent building. From the entrance area you can literally see the most of the building. The eye is immediately attracted to the large and impressive atrium and the sculptural staircase in the middle of the building.

There is, in general, a high level of transparency in the building where all working places have a view to the scenic surroundings through the large, full height glass windows in the facades. The large atrium in the centre of the building allows for a rare transparency, where you can see, sense and experience your colleagues on all the floors across the atrium, creating an instant image of FOSS as one, dynamic organization.

All meeting and dialogue rooms are transparent with a non-transparent decoration in the middle of the glass. This allows for privacy, but also for others to see, who is in the meeting.

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Light

The unique architecture of the building with the large roof light in the atrium and the open facades creates indirect daylight where ever you are in the building. The vast amount of daylight creates an ideal frame for general well-being and a pleasant working environment. From different points in the building the facades open up in the height of two floors, securing even more light. Having the staircase as the main element in the bright atrium gives an open and friendly impression, welcoming all employees and visitors to the building.

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People

People bring the building to life, and therefore a simple, aesthetic interior is selected, making people the centre of the space. The interior is created with high flexibility, making it very easy to collaborate and move around, while accommodating the needs of the organization. The open work space makes it easy to approach colleagues and the many meeting rooms and informal meeting places support a dynamic, flexible working place.

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The main staircase

The main staircase in the middle of the atrium is a unifying architectural element, and basically an answer to the question of establishing an auditorium in the centre of the build-ing without taking the full attention. The staircase forms a triangle allowing space for the auditorium below, combining and connecting the ground floor with the basement. The staircase and the plateau beneath it forms a kind of arena, which fulfils another important need in FOSS Innovation Centre, as it can be used for larger meetings and joint sessions. Thereby the overall ambition of creating a building with the perfect combination of the two parts; functionality and architectural design, is expressed in the multiple functions of- and in the beauty of the staircase.

“The building is a unique, beautiful and courageous result of FOSS´ determined effort to create an ideal physical environment for innovation. The building represents, in its unique combination of creative architecture and sophisticated functionality, FOSS´ vision-ary ambition, and their willingness to break new ground in the work of developing new products.

FOSS Innovation Centre will certainly be an outstanding, worthy and stimulating focal point for the company´s activities for many decades to come.....”,

Jan Haaning Thomsen, Partner Sahl Architects A/S, Architect MAA

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Variation

One of the main ideas in the interior has been to create a simple frame, using the same modules, but still with a lot of variation in the interior. Such variation supports the high level of well-being when working here. You will not find the same setup for the open work space twice in the building, but instead a series of variations within a systematic frame. The number of working spaces varies, as does the number and size of meeting rooms, which the diamond shape of the building supports.

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People meeting people

The open work space is supplemented with plenty of areas to meet and talk, and both formal and informal meeting spaces allow for a natural interaction. The meet-ing rooms have all the modern facilities, where the dialogue rooms are designed for short talks and unplanned meetings, and therefore have a much simpler expression. The more informal meeting areas include lounges on all floors, café tables and chairs and the large staircase in the middle of the atrium. Coffee and tea areas also allow for short informal talks.

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Product Innovation

One floor is completely dedicated to product innovation. Here the floor is made of a special non-conductive material and the desks are different with easy access to power supplies to accommodate more and changing equipment. One of the more remarkable differences is the product testing rooms, which are sealed with glass walls and stencilled decorations all the way around the glass. The decorations are graphic designs showing some of FOSS’s business areas. On the first floor you also find technical laboratories, bio-laboratories and other highly specialized functions.

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Sound

When people are working in open spaces, a low level of noise is needed for people to thrive. To reduce noise, sound-absorbing material has been incorporated everywhere possible. Noise levels are today on a very good level, creating a pleasant working environment.

This means that sound-absorbing material can be founad in the ceilings and in the protection shields. Another sound-absorbing material is the floorings, which has been laid in a special way and likewise the desks are coated with linoleum, which has a higher surface per cm2 than for instance laminate making it more sound-absorbing. All areas contribute significantly to the overall reduction of noise in the building.

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Colours

Colours are important parameters in the aesthetic perspective of the design, and we have chosen a time resistant colour scheme for the walls, furniture and floor. The overall colour tones are grey and a burnt orange where the latter has been extracted from the FOSS logo colour, but the colours also include variation over both the orange and the grey, creating a vivid and lively impression.

All working spaces are kept in neutral grey nuances to create a calm environment. To interest and stimulate the senses, the orange and red colours have been chosen for the meeting areas.

”FOSS is a global modern and innovative company with a solid Danish anchoring; this is brought to life through the minimalistic interior with a light Nordic feel. The interaction between calm environments and surprising effects emphasizes the dynamic of the architecture and the understanding of FOSS.”

Gitte F. Kjølby, Formsprog

Furniture

The idea behind the selection of furniture for the FOSS Innovation Centre is to offer simple, inviting and functional furniture in aesthetic Danish design. In the building you will see a range of furniture from Danish producers of furniture such as Montana, Fritz Hansen, Erik Jørgensen and Holmris DK.

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Meeting and dialogue rooms

When moving into the meeting rooms, the colours of the interior shift slightly, illustrating the move into a new room and situation. In the working areas outside the meeting rooms grey is the dominating colour, but moving into the meeting room this colour is supplemented with a creamy white and a brown colour. The same happens when you move into the lounge areas, where the furniture colour shifts into a darker orange as well as lighter orange colour, than the one you find on the walls.

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The canteen

Moving into the canteen area other colours and furniture demonstrates a move into a completely different setting. The canteen area is a place for relaxing and having lunch. Still – the canteen contains variations of same colour theme, orange and bluish grey, but supplemented with light blue dining tables and blue sofas. The furniture also stands out, with a selection of Panton chairs in blue and orange.

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