Amsterdam, 12 september 2022 – BNP Paribas Real Estate Netherlands today announces that Rick Niemeijer (1984) will take over the role of CEO from co-founder Sicco Posthumus (1976). Rick has been working at BNP Paribas Real Estate since 2008, of which seven years as a member of the Executive Board and Director Asset Management & Investments. Rick has been deputy CEO for over two years as the appointment followed a careful and long-term succession plan to preserve the continuity of the organisation. Following this transition period, Founder and CEO Sicco Posthumus officially announced he is stepping down after fourteen years at the helm of the company.

Together with the appointment of Rick, Michiel Santing is appointed as Director Capital Markets. Michiel has been working at BNP Paribas Real Estate since 2010 and was an important factor in strengthening the company’s pan-European capabilities as Director of International Investment Group Advisory.

Sicco Posthumus: “Fourteen years ago I founded this organization with Machiel Hoek and Sake Pleiter. I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved as a team, first as an independent company and later under the wings of BNP Paribas. This is the right time for me to step down and focus my full attention on a number of projects that are dear to me. We had a well-planned and structured transition process and I leave the organization knowing it is in an excellent position for further growth. I have known Rick for fourteen years and he is very committed to our profile as an entrepreneurial organisation, where attention and a personal approach make the difference. I am proud that we appoint this next generation of board members from within our own ranks, and look forward to the future with confidence, knowing that Rick will succeed me as CEO.”

BNP Paribas Real Estate provides advice across the entire real estate cycle in the areas of expertise of real estate development, acquisitions and sales, consulting, valuations, commercial and technical and management. BNP Paribas Real Estate is taking the Pan-European lead in the transition to the built environment of tomorrow. Sustainability and strengthening the social structure to develop future-proof projects are our starting point.

Geert Lippens, CEO of BNP Paribas in the Netherlands: “Rick has been with BNP Paribas Real Estate for over fourteen years, and I am certain that he is able to continue the distinctive approach of the company and strengthen the organization. The international network and close collaborations with other entities, such as BNP Paribas Wealth Management and mobility provider BNP Paribas Arval, allow us to develop sustainable solutions and help our clients to accelerate the energy transition. I wish him and his team great success. We are very grateful to Sicco for his commitment to the business, the highly successful platform he has built over the years and his contribution to integrating BNP Paribas Real Estate into the BNP Paribas organization.”

Amsterdam, 26 October – BNP Paribas Nederland, Arcadis, and G&S Vastgoed today announced their plan to move into joint new headquarters at the Zuidas in Amsterdam mid-2024. The office building will be built on the last remaining Mahler plot on the corner of the Parnassusweg and the Claude Debussylaan. The shared ambition is to achieve a new standard for healthy and future-proof office buildings. The building has been acquired by a.s.r. real estate, which will add it to the portfolio of the ASR Dutch Mobility Office Fund.

On the first day of Provada 2021, the involved parties jointly announced to be the initiators of the project as well as the future tenants of the building. Arcadis is responsible for the sustainable design and engineering, BNP Paribas Real Estate and G&S Vastgoed developed the RE\DEFINE-philosophy applied to this project, to realise sustainable, healthy, and productive offices. G&S Vastgoed is also responsible for the project development. The three parties have been collaborating successfully on the ‘vertical forest’ Wonderwoods in Utrecht’s city centre.

The ASR Dutch Mobility Office Fund is involved as an investor in both project Wonderwoods and in this newly announced initiative on the Zuidas. The office fund of a.s.r. real estate is the only Dutch fund to focuse entirely on office buildings located in public transport hubs in the Netherlands.

The design of the headquarters is being developed by Florian Idenburg, a Dutch architect who has been running SO-IL architects in New York since 2008 with Jing Liu. Among other things, Idenburg designed the recently opened Amant Art Campus in Brooklyn, New York. He is known for his innovative use of materials, such as a handmade ‘chainmail’ veil that he designed for the Kukje Gallery in South Korea.

Sustainability is an important principle in developing this office building. With their own headquarters, Arcadis, G&S Vastgoed, and BNP Paribas Nederland now have a unique opportunity to set the bar high and use the building as a breeding ground for new sustainable concepts. Sustainability goes beyond the environmental impact of construction and development – it is also about enhancing the long-term liveability of the built environment. To this end, G&S Vastgoed, in collaboration with Arcadis and Transsolar, developed innovative construction techniques with the ambition of realising the most sustainable building on the Zuidas.

BNP Paribas Nederland has signed a letter of intent to establish its new headquarter in the Zuidas, where the various entities of the bank in the Netherlands can come together at one location. The central location on Parnassusweg, the nearby new Zuidas NS railway station, and the already developed Mahler car park, together offer various possibilities for a flexible mobility mix for employees.

At the ground level, The Cube is being developed where visitors of the Zuidas and Amsterdam citizens will be able to discover sustainable and digital innovations from Dutch origin.

Geert Lippens, CEO BNP Paribas The Netherlands: “The new headquarter in Amsterdam reflects our growth ambitions in The Netherlands. By bringing our various entities closer together in one headquarter, we will accelerate the One Bank strategy and clients will benefit fully from our interdisciplinary approach and broad international expertise. I am proud to be developing a headquarter that sets a new sustainability standard. With the expertise of BNP Paribas Real Estate, Arcadis, and G&S Vastgoed, we intend to inspire others to develop future-proof concepts for the next generation. Supporting our clients in their pursuit of sustainable and responsible growth is what we stand for, and the new headquarter underscore this ambition.”

Jason Blackmore, Managing Director G&S Real Estate: “The partnership with Arcadis and BNP Paribas Real Estate has proved to be a success formula that has made us not only happy to take on this project, but even to move in together. Nowadays, building as sustainably as possible is a requirement, but we are convinced that current times call for going a step further. We are therefore very proud that, together with our partners, we are realising this sustainable project on the last Mahler plot at the Zuidas.       

Carolien Gehrels, Global Director Energy Transition Arcadis: “In recent years we have worked intensively on future-proof buildings that respond to the consequences of climate change. We use the most sustainable materials and digital applications, with the requirements and demands of the users and the residents as the most important starting point. We are proud to be able to demonstrate this in our ‘own’ headquarter. The building symbolises Arcadis’ ambition to be climate neutral in all respects by 2035.”  

Pieter Vandeginste, Fund Director ASR Dutch Mobility Office Fund: “We are extremely proud to acquire the development of the last Mahler plot on the Zuidas. This great sustainable office building fits perfectly into the line-up of our current pipeline which includes Wonderwoods , EDGE Eindhoven, and Tree House in Rotterdam. The location near the station, high sustainability ambitions, and leading organisations such as BNP Paribas, Arcadis and G&S Vastgoed as tenants complete the picture for us.”

BNP Paribas Real Estate Netherlands announces today that it has entered a strategic partnership with Quantum Projects, a distributor with global sales rights  of amongst others air purifiers of ActivePure Technologies from technology company Aerus. These air purifiers are the only ones in the world that use certified aerospace technology and can actively remove bacteria, viruses and fungi from both the air and surfaces, including the COVID-19 virus. This new technology fits the RE\define housing programme of the future. RE\define is a knowledge platform developed by BNP Paribas Real Estate Netherlands, ARCADIS, G&S Vastgoed and MMEK to work together on a healthy and safe living environment.

After successful applications in government buildings, hospitals, schools and numerous other (public) buildings in the North American market, Aerus in cooperation with Quantum Projects will now also enter the Benelux market with its ActivePure technology. In 2017, ActivePure Technologies, formerly known as Aerus Holdings, was recognised by the Space Foundation[1] as the only surface and air-purification technology to effectively adapt and market technology originally developed for NASA to improve the quality of life for all humanity. The Aerus’ air purifiers produce submicroscopic hydroxyls and ions, so-called ActivePure molecules, that destroy contaminants. People who work or live in rooms where the air purifiers are installed are therefore less exposed to viruses, including RNA and DNA viruses, bacteria and fungi. Independent scientific studies repeatedly show that the patented ActivePure technology is the most powerful air and surface cleaning solution ever. More than 99% of micro-organisms and airborne contaminants on the surface are reduced.

“BNP Paribas Real Estate Netherlands has always been actively involved in creating better and safer working and living environments and this has been accelerated by the corona pandemic. As part of the RE\define programme, we work together with partners to create better and healthier places to live and to work, we equip organisations better for the challenges of today and of the future. The partnership with Quantum Projects enables us to make and keep spaces free of bacteria, fungi and viruses, including COVID-19. With Quantum and its ActivePure product line, we can further expand our service. We will soon offer the Aerus air purifiers to our clients and the clients of our RE\define partners,” said Sicco Posthumus, CEO BNP Paribas Real Estate Netherlands.

“We are pleased about the strategic partnership with a top ten international real estate provider such as BNP Paribas Real Estate Netherlands. Forward-looking, future-oriented and with an eye for social interest were important criteria in our search for a partner. BNP Paribas Real Estate Netherlands felt like a perfect match from the start. They have an innovative mindset and focus on advising their clients on the subject of safe working during the COVID era. Their focus on the future of the office environment is an extension of our ambition to help reopen the Netherlands and prevent new lockdowns,” said Roy de Ruiter, founder and managing director of Quantum Projects.

The performance of Aerus products has been scientifically proven for decades in independent FDA-certified laboratories. Testing of the ActivePure technology was conducted by one of the world’s best testing facilities, the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), which primarily tests for the US military and Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The UTMB study was conducted in late November 2020 at the Bio Safety Level (BSL) -3 and -4 laboratory that studies the world’s most deadly pathogens. In tests, the ActivePure technology deactivated more than 99.9% of the highly concentrated SARS-CoV-2 airborne virus in just 3 minutes, to below detectable levels.

[1] The inauguration in the Space Technology Hall of Fame occurred during a reception which was sponsored by SpaceX.

Active Pure Technology bij BNP Paribas Real Estate (c) Milan Hofmans

Sicco Posthumus, CEO BNP Paribas Real Estate (c) Milan Hofmans