Case study
With this new building, WUR is starting the dialogue
February 7, 2023
How CBRE is bringing people and nature together in the new interior at Wageningen University & Research
How do you ensure that a public building invites people to come in and feel at home? That is the question that the board of Wageningen University & Research (WUR) asked themselves when the brand new ‘Omnia’ building was built on their campus. All major events will be held here, from graduation ceremonies to conferences. The CBRE design team were assigned to design the spaces in such a way that they invited visitors to spend time there. The result: an interior that has a natural warmth and ambiance, in line with WUR’s mission: ‘To explore the potential of nature to improve quality of life.’
Appreciated
WUR’s hall used to be in the town centre and was in need of major renovations. ‘All the other university buildings had already been built on the campus,’ Rolf Heling, coordinator of this project on WUR’s behalf, recalls. ‘That’s why the board decided not to renovate but instead to build a completely new hall on the campus. And it had to be more than just a hall. We wanted a building that brought everything we do together. The question that concerns all of us is: what are the benefits of the education and research that we offer? What is our social impact? Everyone can discuss these things in this building.’
A warm welcome
Architectural firm Broekbakema designed a see-through building in which that dialogue is literally visible to the outside world. WUR then invited tenders for the interior design, and CBRE won that tender. Rolf: ‘You only build a building once and you’re making decisions that have to last for years. The CBRE design was the one best suited to our requirement to make the interior warmer and more human. CBRE asked the users what was important to them. They were told that the interior needed to have a personal feel, with lots of greenery – while at the same time it had to be professional. Functionality was also important, which meant it had to have a lot of lockers and places to sit for meetings or to make calls. The logistics also had to flow well: how do you guide people to the right place?’
Natural connections
Rolf: ‘Three spaces had to be laid out: the foyers, the graduation room and the main hall. For each space, CBRE examined the various interests and produced a design in close consultation with end users, the steering committee and the Executive Board. The basic premise was the connection with nature. This is reflected in the wooden slatted wall along the interior walls, the furniture made of natural materials and plenty of greenery. For each space, CBRE also drew inspiration from a season and a sense, and selected the colours and materials based on that. So each space has its own character. What’s more, the signage is so self-explanatory that you are guided to the right room almost intuitively. That makes the design warm and professional at the same time.’
Sustainable collaboration
‘The technical detailing of the design was an intensive process, involving a lot of discussion,’ Rolf tells us. ‘CBRE co-wrote the tender documents and assessed the look and feel of the furniture and fittings together with us. CBRE also helped us make the right budgetary decisions, so that the final result was in line with the original drawings – without driving the costs up too much.’
Open to dialogue
‘CBRE made the interior more exciting and more suitable, with a personal ambiance and its own identity,’ Rolf explains. ‘Omnia is accessible to all and geared to welcome all kinds of visitors. Most of them will come here for a reason: for a graduation ceremony of someone they know, to attend a conference, a thesis defence or an inauguration. But you can also come here for lunch or dinner. And we organise debates and cultural activities, hold training sessions and courses for professionals there. Regardless of the reason for the visit: Omnia makes you feel at home and free to engage in a discussion.
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