The buildings office floors are fitted out according to the principles of activity-based working (ABW). For the Tax Office, this is by no means a new concept. Bram: We have been working with the ABW concept for over a decade and we have a lot expertise with how it works. Even so, this project presented some challenges. We discovered that the ABW concept works fine for most, but not for all, Bram remarks, referring to the Dutch anti-fraud agency that occupies four of the buildings twelve floors. The anti-fraud agency is different from other departments because their work is highly confidential. Some of their investigators haveThe buildings interior includes several biophilic literally piles of paper evidence on their desks. Furthermore,elements such as green walls. Other health-some of investigators need locks on their rooms becauserelated features are the buildings natural ventilation system and the use of CO2 detection the material they work with is so sensitive. These are issuesin meeting rooms. (photo: Lucas van der Wee).that do not sit well with the ABW concept.This perception was reflected in projects evaluation, which was conducted nine months after move-in. 76The evaluation data showed that anti-fraud agency employees are less happy with the concept than the buildings other users. For example: only 13% of the anti-fraud agency respondents rated the comfort of workstations as satisfactory, while in other departments over 70% of the staff were satisfied or even very satisfied with this aspect. Bram: The results show that you have to keep a close eye on specialized needs. In retrospect, I think that project would have benefited from more user involvement. Working with a standardizedThe buildings interior has been completely concept is fine, but you still need to engage with users totransformed, but its concrete structure, get a good understanding of their needs, and to give themcomplete with its characteristic octagonal columns, is still there and visible. a sense of ownership. (photo: Lucas van der Wee)In response to the evaluation, Bram and his colleagues are planning to make several improvements to the work environment. But because it is a PPP-project this will require agreement from the consortium that is maintaining and operating the building. Bram: That sounds cumbersome, but I am actually quite glad of it. The consortium looks closely at both the financial and functional impact of any change we want to make. They do this because the PPP contract contains strict performance criteria on workplace quality. Changes to the buildings layout are therefore closely scrutinized for their impact on things like acousticsAround 20% of the buildings workspaces are and air quality. That takes a bit more time, but it ensures thatexplicitly designed to facilitate communication. we get a good solution rather than just a quick fix. They include collaboration rooms, lounge-like settings and booths like those pictured in this photo.