Acoustic comfort inside a 27,900m² logistics hub

Delivering office comfort and BREEAM scoring inside Foot Locker's new distribution centre.

Nabuurs II Distribution Centre Industrial Design | Case Studies

Rockfon Tropic above the mezzanine walkway, keeping the space bright and acoustically comfortable alongside the glazed view into the logistics hall.

A logistics hub of a higher standard

Nabuurs II is a 27,900m² logistics hub in Haps, the Netherlands, designed by Heembouw and leased to global retailer Foot Locker. It's built around efficient logistics, but also around the people who work inside it, with offices, mezzanine areas and walkways set within the larger warehouse operation.

The building achieved BREEAM Very Good, with energy-efficient systems, electric climate control, heat pumps and responsibly sourced materials throughout.

The office and mezzanine zones had to match that ambition, both in comfort and in sustainability.

Comfort where people actually work

A distribution centre is, by nature, a hard and noisy environment. But the office, mezzanine and walkway zones inside it are where staff spend their days, and those spaces need acoustic comfort to function.

Without sound absorption, noise and echo from the open layout carry into the offices and corridors, making concentration and conversation harder.

The ceiling solution also had to support the building's BREEAM goals, contributing to both the comfort and the sustainability targets at once.

Project info

Project name

Nabuurs II Distribution Centre

Client

Nabuurs

Location

Haps, Netherlands

Architecture

Heembouw Architecten

Installation

G&P Afbouw

Photography

Lucas van der Wee

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Products used

Rockfon® Tropic

View

A bright room with glass partitions, where Rockfon Tropic reflects daylight and absorbs sound across the space.

Tropic across the workspaces

1,500m² of Rockfon Tropic was installed across the office, mezzanine and walkway zones by G&P Afbouw. Its surface reflects 86% of natural light, helping keep the workspaces bright and reducing energy use, while delivering Class A sound absorption to control noise and echo.

The tiles use an A15 straight-cut edge mounted on a Chicago Metallic 2750 T15 grid, a setup that keeps the ceiling demountable for access while maintaining a clean, uniform finish. In places, the ceiling was shaped to follow organic forms around the open stairwell.

Because the tiles are made primarily of stone wool, they're infinitely recyclable and Cradle to Cradle Certified, contributing to BREEAM scoring across five categories: Management, Materials, Health and Well-Being, Waste and Innovation.

Rockfon Tropic across the mezzanine, keeping the workspace bright and calm next to the busy logistics hub behind the glass.

Nabuurs II in Haps, a 27,900m² logistics hub leased to Foot Locker.

Floor-to-ceiling glass with Rockfon Tropic above, keeping the office bright and acoustically comfortable.

Experience from the first build, applied to the second

G&P Afbouw had already worked on Nabuurs I, and brought practical lessons to the second building.

"At Nabuurs I, the coves were positioned too close to the outer façade, limiting aerial work platform access. This time, we allocated more space, which made the installation process much smoother. Seeing the final result is truly satisfying," said Richard Uitzinger, Project Leader at G&P Afbouw.

Also fitting out the workspaces inside an industrial or logistics building where comfort and sustainability both matter? Get in touch, and we'll help you find the right solution.