Global Center of Adaptation
As the world begins to get a handle on the coronavirus pandemic, many workers are preparing to return to the office. However, we might be returning to a very different office life. Most notably, many offices have used the time to become more eco-friendly, like the world’s largest floating, which just opened in Rotterdam!
Ecologically Friendly Office Job
Powerhouse Company
The Global Center of Adaptation (GCA) in Rotterdam, Netherlands, has decided to approach the office in a new and innovative way. Now anyone that visits the GCA’s headquarters in Rotterdam will head to the official Floating Office Rotterdam (FOR). That’s right, a floating office! The Powerhouse Company started constructing the project back in 2018, wanting to create something far more ecologically friendly! “We work with governments, businesses and communities on solutions to our climate crisis,” said Patrick Verkooijen, CEO for GCA. “Because we not only need to accelerate the transition away from greenhouse gas emissions, but also urgently respond to the climate impacts that are already here and affecting lives and livelihoods around the world, especially in poorer, more vulnerable countries.”
It all started with the construction, with GCA says was entirely “off-grid and carbon-neutral.” In case you did not know, while most offices sacrifice green ideas for comfort. However, the FOR combines functionality and sustainability. All materials were chosen intentionally, including wood instead of concrete. This move alone saved 1,200 tons of Carbon Dioxide material!
After opening the building in early September, GCA has one of the greenest offices in the entire world. “With its own solar energy source and water-based heat-exchange system, FOR is completely self-sufficient,” the company explained in a statement. “[The office] is an embodiment of some of the solutions already within our reach…Solutions that are innovative, sustainable and bold.”
Adaptation Capital Of The World
Global Center of Adaptation
In addition to using ecologically friendly materials, there are solar panels on the roof of the FOR. Almost 10,000 square feet of the panels provide the entire building with solar energy, while a green roof of the same size helps in managing rainwater, noise, and energy intake.
In 2018, the World Bank calculated that the Netherlands emitted 8.7 metric tons per capita of Carbon Dioxide, the lowest amount in nearly 50 years! “Rotterdam is often called the ‘adaptation capital of the world’ because of many other innovations in how the city prepares for the impacts of climate change, so we appreciate our partnership with the city in hosting us,” Verkooijen said. “The solutions to our climate crisis exist, we just need to urgently scale and accelerate them. That lies at the heart of what GCA does, and our office is one manifestation of this.
While many are very excited to enter the new building, GCA will stagger the return to the new office. As you might imagine, the executives are following the local guidelines carefully. “We’re obviously managing the return to the office carefully and in line with local guidelines here,” Verkooijen said. “But so far the reaction from colleagues and visitors has been incredibly positive.”
