Trees, Timber and Cocoa-Shell Linoleum Shape Bever’s Basecamp Office

Projects · Story by MaterialDistrict · 9 Nov 2026 · 2 min read

Trees grow through the entrance of Bever’s new headquarters in Pijnacker, and a speckled floor curves past them like a forest path. The interior by KuóStudio for the Dutch outdoor retailer won the overall prize and the public vote for interiors at the first Dutch Biophilic Design Awards.

The complex holds 3,600 m² of offices over three floors, a warehouse of almost 12,000 m², a repair room for repairs and second-hand gear, a wash line, a sewing studio and a photo studio. Bureau Kroner designed the building as a timber frame with generous glazed facades, and landscape practice Smartland laid out the grounds. The awards were presented on 22 October 2026 at Sweco on Strijp-S in Eindhoven, organised by the Biophilic Design Academy.

Entrance hall with trees and ferns, a timber column and a curving light linoleum floor — _{Trees grow through the entrance hall, beside a wall with contour-line relief. Image: KuóStudio}

Contour Lines in Timber, a Rope for a Handrail

KuóStudio wanted the office to feel like a base camp for Bever’s staff, with the outdoors carried inside. In the entrance hall stands a wooden ‘Buitenhuis’, the cabin known from Bever’s shops, which serves as a meeting place. Timber wall panels are cut in layers that recall the contour lines of a relief map. A monumental spiral stair has a climbing rope as its handrail, a nod to the climbing wall outside, and balustrades carry a leaf-vein pattern.

Wood, biolaminate, linoleum and plants make up most of the palette. The workplaces follow KuóStudio’s concept ‘Rust, Ruis & Reuring’ – calm, buzz and bustle – with 135 workplaces and no fixed desks. Staff move between quiet spaces for focus, livelier settings for creative work and a work café for meetings. There is also a meditation and silence room.

Work café with long red and teal tables, wooden chairs and a buffet counter under timber beams — _{The work café with long tables in red and teal under the timber roof. Image: KuóStudio}

Cocoa Shells Underfoot

More than 1,200 m² of the ground floor is covered with Marmoleum Cocoa by Forbo Flooring. The team first wanted a cast floor, but chose the linoleum for its smooth, natural look and easy maintenance. Its fine speckles come from upcycled cocoa shells, which suits Bever’s own work in giving gear a second life. Marmoleum Cocoa is also on MaterialDistrict. According to Forbo, the floor consists of 98% natural raw materials. Coral entrance mats at every door keep dirt out.

Seating area with a round table and chairs on a light speckled linoleum floor with a curving darker band — _{Marmoleum Cocoa in two shades forms a curving path through the building. Photo: Eva Bloem, courtesy of Forbo Flooring}

Jury Praises the Balance

The jury, chaired by British designer Oliver Heath, singled out the balance between connection to nature, wellbeing, sustainability and sensory experience, as well as the careful use of materials. The building holds a BREEAM Excellent certificate, and Bever aims to be fully CO₂-neutral by 2030. The product award at the same event went to WaterLand by Natasja van der Meer, furniture made from Dutch reed and fallen wood.

Source: KuóStudio / Biophilic Design Awards / Forbo Flooring · Images: KuóStudio; Eva Bloem, courtesy of Forbo Flooring

Trees, Timber and Cocoa-Shell Linoleum Shape Bever’s Basecamp Office

Contour Lines in Timber, a Rope for a Handrail

Cocoa Shells Underfoot

Jury Praises the Balance

Related