Case study

With their new headquarters, care institution Omring is ready for the future

July 10, 2024

A shared space with multiple seats in the form of a large table with chairs or small benches with side tables. The room has a homely atmosphere and is well lit.

Care institution Omring has been located in Het Baken in Hoorn for twenty years. After all that time, the head office was in need of renovation. In order to modernize it and make it future-proof, a thorough renovation and sustainability drive were needed. The result: a modern workplace with plenty of space for colleagues to meet. CBRE supported Omring throughout this project - we developed the workplace concept, came up with the interior design and did the project and change management.

Outdated building

Omring provides elderly care in the head of the Noord-Holland region. The organization has thirty residential locations with 1,500 beds and provides home care. Approximately three hundred people work at its headquarters in Hoorn. 'When we approached CBRE in 2019, our office was very outdated,' says Lisette Helder, property manager and project manager at Omring. 'Hardly anything had been done to it for twenty years, everything was rather outdated - to give you an idea: even the carpeting had never been replaced. Moreover, the corridors were narrow, and we worked in small rooms containing sometimes only two desks. There were hardly any collaborative workstations, so project-based work was not possible. Colleagues had difficulty meeting each other as a result.'

Tijn van der Mersch, Senior Project Manager at CBRE: 'We started with a workplace study to determine: can Omring stay in their office, or would it be better to look for an alternative? It became option one, because the current building offered many opportunities and there were few suitable alternatives nearby.' Director of real estate Marcel Rosendaal adds, ‘But there were more reasons for us to stay. Employees know this place well and often live nearby - so we preferred to stay here. In addition, financially it was also more attractive.'

A spacious reception hall with a reception desk and a bar with stools incorporating a flower box. Being in the background appears to be a seating area or waiting area with lower chairs.
Welcome
A large open space of a building with several stairs on the left. In the foreground a seating area and in the background a reception desk. Several people can be seen moving through the room.
A communal space within a modern building. In the foreground is a cozy sitting area and to the right of it a wide but low staircase that leads to another room in the building.
An open space in a building with a seating area on the left of the image with a side table and seats and then a wide staircase with four steps that leads to another room within the building.
A large open space within a modern building. Given the many tables and chairs, this appears to be a canteen or similar space where large groups of people can come together.

The same, but future-proof

The advice that followed from the workplace survey in 2019 was recalibrated after corona. The working from home factor suddenly played an important role, and we had to consider that in the new office's layout,' explains Tijn. 'We adjusted the flex ratio, for example. Before corona, it was 60% - 6 desks for 10 people. After the 2020 recalibration, it was 42%: 4.2 desks for every 10 people. We based this information on data: prior to the renovation, we took measurements at the office to determine what the occupancy is per part of the day.'

To make the best use of the spaces now, CBRE has installed sensors under the desks and in the meeting rooms. They measure the number of available places; that information is linked to the reservation system GoBright. Lisette: ‘We wanted the departments to stay together, but the workstations could be more accessible. Because all the rooms are now open, it is much easier to walk in on each other. This is also due to the glass walls - you can find each other much better now. Even the meeting rooms are made of glass. There are also call boxes, quiet areas, focus areas and so-called OFADs: Offices For A Day.'

A hallway in what appears to be an office building with a person walking down the hallway from a doorway. Several rooms are visible from the hallway as most of the walls consist of windows.
Working environment
A communal space within a modern building. Several high and low seats are visible and there are two people in the room who appear to be communicating with each other. One of these people is working at the coffee maker
An aisle in a building with two different seating areas and many glass walls that make the hallway spacious and allow natural light to pass through.
A large open space in a building with a person on the left standing near a locker wall using his locker. On the right is a work desk visible with a number of large houseplants.
A modern office with small closed work spaces. There is a person walking through the room towards the opening of a workspace.
An open office space with multiple work desks and a number of large plants that fill and decorate space.
A large open space with shared seating. This well-lit meeting room has semi-circular sofas placed on a large, round carpet.

All on the same page

CBRE supported Omring's project managers in change management. 'You can introduce a new workplace concept very effectively, but your employees have to understand what is changing,' says Lisette. 'At first, we encountered some resistance, and people had a lot of questions - for example, about the reservation system. So together with CBRE we set up a sounding board group, including management and at least one person from each department. That way everyone could contribute ideas.' Tijn adds, ‘During workshops, our Workplace Consultants explained the new way of working and the different workplaces to the sounding board group. In addition - based on input from employees - they drafted and answered Q&As. This way we were able to provide everyone with information and address any concerns.'

Leader in sustainability and innovation

Omring has a clear goal for 2030: to be the most sustainable healthcare organization in the Netherlands. 'We want to create a healthy environment for all our employees,' says Marcel. 'Naturally, the renovated headquarters had to fit in with that. With the help of our technical project managers, we took sustainable steps. We installed solar panels, double glazing and a heat and cold storage system, replaced all the lights with LED lighting and modified the mechanical installations. We reused some of the furniture and added plants everywhere. This has really given the office a fresh look.

A shared space with multiple seats in the form of a large table with chairs or small benches with side tables. The room has a homely atmosphere and is well lit.
Health square
Two images taken from the same point of view in the same room but with a different setting. In one setting you see a meeting setup and in the other a fitness room.
A practice room of a healthcare institution. With a work desk on the right side of the window and on the left a treatment table with a stool on wheels.

Control in renovation

It was up to CBRE to keep an eye on planning, quality, and budget throughout the renovation. 'We did the interim checks, and I regularly attended construction meetings,' Tijn explains. 'We also carried out quality checks: for example, we checked the system walls, floors and special work - such as pantries and the reception desk.'

Lisette and Marcel are satisfied with the cooperation. 'CBRE'ers are very customer-oriented and professional. They were happy to adapt to all our wishes,' says Marcel. 'They thought along with us, are very solution-oriented and were always well prepared to the smallest detail. I had the feeling that we were really doing this together. We were up front and wanted to think about every step of the process - fortunately CBRE was open to that.'

Workplace for today and tomorrow

Since September, the renovation of the new office has been completed. The result is certainly worth seeing, according to Lisette. 'We now have a fresh and modern workplace - in a beautiful design that fits the organization perfectly.' Marcel adds, 'Because of the new interior design and workplace concept, there is more room for encounters between colleagues. Moreover, the office is fully equipped for the new way of working. That makes us an attractive employer - even for job seekers. I believe it is a very inspiring building, which will serve us for years to come!

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