One of Ron Bakker's most useful lessons from The Edge came from a workspace he had worried people would avoid. It was open to the atrium, exposed, noisy, and unlike the conventional picture of a proper office. Once people could choose, it became one of the building's most popular places to work.
That example changed the emphasis of the 2018 Constructrr conversation. Certification and technology were part of the project, but occupant choice showed the team what its design assumptions had missed.
The rating created a target, not a final answer
Ron Bakker described how the client moved from a BREEAM Excellent goal to BREEAM Outstanding after reviewing which credits seemed achievable. The credit list brought cost, feasibility, and innovation choices into the design process.
Ron did not present the rating as the end of learning. He described The Edge as a pilot where not everything worked and where later projects could benefit from what the team observed.
Ron Bakker started the next decision with people
Asked what an owner should consider in a new building or renovation, Ron said, “If you look at the people in your building and you start with them,” then the team could decide what needed to change in the building, technology, air, light, or flexibility.
He applied that principle to the choices occupants made after move-in. Different people preferred different work environments within The Edge. The lesson was not to copy one popular atrium space everywhere. It was to notice the gap between design confidence and actual use, then carry that evidence into the next decision.
Data ownership limited what the team could learn
The building collected extensive information, but Ron Bakker also described a 2018 debate about who owned the data and whether it could be used commercially. He noted that much of the information was anonymized while the legal and commercial questions were still being worked through.
The building technology could collect extensive occupant information. It could not settle who had permission to analyze, share, or sell it.
Carry one observed choice into the next brief
Choose one feature the team expected occupants to value. Compare the design intent with observed use and direct feedback. Record where the two agree, where they differ, and which later design decision that evidence is allowed to influence.
The Edge did not close the case on sustainable workplace design. In Ron's account, it gave the team a building it could continue learning from.
