Adyen head office

In the heart of Amsterdam, the empty Hudson's Bay department store has been converted into the new headquarters of online payment platform Adyen. As part of the sustainability of this monumental building, Solarix provides specially designed solar panels in a matte black colour.

Adyen is having the two vacant new-build buildings, on the Rokin and the monumental Vleeshal behind it, redeveloped in collaboration with contractor Van Wijnen, interior design firm Tank and architectural firm Rijnboutt, project organization SGS, real estate manager CBRE and technical service provider ENGIE.

The redevelopment of the monumental building focuses on Adyen's sustainable and circular vision, which fits in well with Solarix's vision to accelerate the energy transition.

For example, one of Adyen's most important wishes is to make maximum use of the materials already present. According to branch director Wesly Verhaert, Adyen "goes for the BREEAM Very Good to Excellent certificate, a quality label for minimal environmental impact during construction and the subsequent operational phase."

In addition to reusing materials, Adyen also looked for the possibility of generating energy with one of the three new office buildings. Roy Leegwater, project leader at ENGIE Services West, says: “By installing solar panels and designing the restaurant kitchen differently, Rokin 49 and the Vleeshal will become gas-free buildings.”

However, given the monumental status of the buildings, such as the old Vleeshal, regular roof solar panels are not an option. Architect Rijnboutt and client ENGIE therefore opted for an aesthetic solution with the design solar panels from Solarix.

It made sense to equip one of the sloping roofs of the Vleeshal with solar panels. Partly due to its location in the centre of Amsterdam and the associated aesthetic requirements, it was important that the solar panels fit into the image of the monumental interior and did not shine too much. The dimensions of the solar panels also had to match the existing rhythm of the building. Solarix, together with the architect, looked for a matte black colour that most closely matches the existing roof panels and for attractive dimensions. In addition, a mounting system was used suitable for glass/glass panels without a frame. The custom-made aesthetic solar panels were combined with an attractive, virtually invisible mounting system.

Solarix worked with the architect to find a matte black color that most closely matches the existing roof tiles. Various shades of gray were developed in this process to achieve the right match. As an additional addition, it was decided to equip the solar panels with frosted glass for minimal reflection and light reflection.

Equans became a client of Solarix, where Solarix worked closely with Solar Engineers and Energie Anders for the E-installation and assembly.

Client: Rijnbout
Project realization team: Solarix, Solar Egineers, Energie Anders, Equans, Van Wijnen