Owen Zachariasse nods in agreement. ‘Mosa has the same values in how they conduct their business. That makes the work process smoother and leads to a better final product. It requires an investment. You have to keep each other sharp. Be honest about which innovations work and which don't. But isn't that what makes your work fun?!’

Repurposing waste means creating value

Coert Zachariasse: ‘When you apply the Cradle to Cradle concept you aren't just incorporating an additional source of funding, you are getting healthier buildings to boot, because thought has been given to the materials used. This has a direct effect on the well-being of your staff as well. So it goes a lot further than just saving energy! As project developers, we really think about how you can increase staff productivity by constructing buildings the smart way and broadening your horizons. But don't get me wrong: this is not some convenient sales pitch to get people on board our Park 20|20 project. This is a distinctive concept of real substance. In that sense, the financial crisis gave us an extra nudge because we were able to create a better business case for our clients through our philosophy of using and reusing materials and thinking about productivity and the experience of space and health in the work environment. Because an office is more than merely a physical workplace. An office is a place where cohesion and synergy are born. That means that, when you start designing and developing, you have to include how a space is experienced. Maybe you have to build smaller, but build better and in a way that's aimed at achieving that, because your staff is your capital.’ Owen Zachariasse nods in agreement, adding, ‘We do a lot of research. We have discussions with our tenants. That way we always know how much time employees spend on communication, contemplation, concentration, collaboration and creativity even before we start. So we develop spaces based on the time spent in them.’

Quality and innovation

Jeroen Grosfeld adds that, ‘Thinking of previous ideas, in designing Park 20|20 we left nothing untouched and were determined to find solutions that went beyond sustainable building. We wanted to make a difference and were able to formulate a number of feasible options that even now – many years and many developments and experiences later – can still be considered a guiding principle. At that time no buildings had ever been designed with materials that could be reused. There was sustainable building of course, but the philosophy there is just to work with fewer materials and less energy. But sustainability doesn't mean doing more and more with less. That has its limits. You are completely stripping buildings down without thinking of the comfort of the users. For us sustainability means, at the least, that you can take buildings apart and reuse the materials. So we were faced with an enormous challenge, because a building contains thousands of materials so you need to have almost as many subcontractors who are prepared to produce materials that are C2C compliant and cost neutral as well as attractive. Mosa supplies just such a flexible ceramic product. All the tiles we used in the project – both for the interiors and exteriors – have residual value because they're C2C produced and certified, are zero-maintenance (for the Bluewater facade) and, most of all, they look great.’

Business as an engine for positive change

Jeroen Grosfeld: ‘We aren't there yet. We aren't yet capable of creating a 100% C2C building. But we are headed in that direction. It's a constant search for better and smarter products. Park 20|20 is a worldwide pioneer in that regard. It serves as an example. Not only because of the choice of materials and the energy standards that have been se,t but also because it's commercially viable. Hopefully Park 20|20 will persuade others to start working in the same way. Cradle to Cradle is not ‘hype’. It's here to stay. By working with Cradle to Cradle you are generating guaranteed residual value, and everyone benefits from that. You might have to invest more upfront, but it yields so much more in the long term. The sustainable building standards mandated by the government still don't go far enough in that regard. And it takes a lot. You must be able to continually learn (and teach) and to try new things. You have to rethink your whole philosophy about developing and designing. You have to start thinking differently, because you must be able to take buildings apart and reuse the materials. You have to like being a pioneer and to look beyond architecture itself. Because the design of a building is not so much about the building itself, as it is about people's comfort.’