<p><strong>Amazing and enthralling</strong></p><p>Walking across the grounds housing the new <a href="https://www.afasexperiencecenter.nl/">AFAS Experience Center</a> , complete with a large underground car park, a restaurant, theatre, two ponds, a sports pavillion, almost 10,000 square metres of garden space, plus an atrium, it&apos;s hard to imagine that this is the headquarters of a software company (office space is also sited there, of course). As its name suggests, the AFAS Experience Center is all about the experience.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Built for a sustainable society.</strong></p><p>Whilst the grounds provide a workplace for the company&apos;s employees, they also offer public spaces that are accessible to everyone. The result is a modern combination of IT innovation, entertainment and education that aspires to offer job satisfaction within an increasingly digital and sustainable society. Ton van der Veldt, the founder of AFAS, has reinforced his desire to achieve this:</p>

<p>Which is why the grounds incorporate solid building insulation, moss-sedum roofs, heat reservoirs, recycled concrete, recycled material for the ceiling lamellas, plus sun collectors.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Welcome distractions in the outdoor areas</strong></p><p>The large garden is exceptional and brings all the individual areas on the grounds together. Here, the lavish plants and greenery interchange with works of art. And, time and again, are interspersed with a view of one of the two ponds. Numerous seating areas, along with an irrigation system and lighting call on passers-by and employees alike to take a walk and relax. Visitors to the sports pavillion can play padel, boules or table tennis.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Synergies for sustainability</strong></p><p>In BG-Graspointner, AFAS found the ideal drainage partner, because this Oberwang-based company is equally focused on an ecological philosophy. The company&apos;s in-house product, FILCO<a href="/en-gb/drainage-channels/bg-filcoten">TEN</a>® HPC (High Performance Concrete), is an exceptionally sustainable material that, compared to channels made of conventional concrete, saves on up to 70 percent of the non-renewable additives of sand and gravel, whilst also requiring 55 percent less cement Since the manufacture of cement incurs high levels of CO2 emissions, the above factors quite clearly benefit the environment. The expansive foyer located in the main building is fitted out with BG-<a href="/en-gb/bg-filcoten-1/pro">FILCOTEN</a>® Pro channels.</p><p> </p><p>At BG-Graspointner, state-of-the-art production technologies result in more than just vital energy savings. The entire energy concept is founded on a sustainable concept: 100 percent green electricity, 40 percent of which is self-produced. For its development of FILCO<a href="/en-gb/drainage-channels/bg-filcoten">TEN</a>® HPC (High Performance Concrete), the company was awarded the golden Energy Globe Award in November 2022 by Austria&apos;s energy association.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Terraces and facade channels</strong></p><p>The BG-<a href="/en-gb/drainage-channels/bg-flex">FLEX</a> FA steel facade channel was installed to drain the facade areas. Its retention capacity prevents flooding occurring during heavy downfalls and also moisture from entering buildings or ponding in facade areas.</p><p> </p><p>The atrium is an artfully designed outdoor area that spreads directly over the underground car park with space for 800 cars. This is where the BG-<a href="/en-gb/drainage-channels/bg-flex">FLEX</a> TM terrace channels demonstrate their true benefits: They ensure that water drains off fast and thus help relieve the structure. Its low construction height allows them to fit perfectly between the concrete ceiling in the underground car park and the large terrace tiles to fit in the atrium. Thanks to the minimal dimensions of the channel, it was still possible to lay them evenly.</p>