Ballast Nedam tapped to construct sustainable municipal office building in the Netherlands

by Shane Henson — May 4, 2012—Dutch-based construction and engineering company Ballast Nedam has been chosen to build a highly sustainable municipal office building in the city of Venlo, located in the Netherlands.

According to Ballast Nedam, its contract partner is LAUDY Construction & Development, Ballast Nedam’s Limburg subsidiary. The work will be realized by Laudy and Ballast Nedam Building and Development Region South. The contract is for the construction work, including mechanical engineering, electrical and elevator installations, and it will be completed by mid-2014. The contract price for this project totals almost $35 million euros.

The building will have a gross floor area of approximately 13,500 m2 and feature a public underground car park under the building with a capacity of 400 parking spaces spread over three layers. Ballast Nedam says the building will reflect the city’s proud agri-logistics tradition. At the same time, it will put the city of Venlo firmly in the cradle-to-cradle (C2C) design spotlight. The municipal office building has been designed according to these C2C principles, resulting in a facility that combines a comfortable and healthy working environment with sustainable innovation. Examples of cradle-to-cradle principles that have been incorporated into the building’s design include:

  • The building will purify the air coming from the road and adjacent railway line through a big green wall.
  • The underground car park will be used to pre-heat the air in the building in the winter and to cool it in the summer.
  • A greenhouse on the roof will purify the air and provide heat for the entire building.
  • Rainwater will be collected and used. It will then be purified by a plant filter and reused as rinsing water before it is discharged into the River Meuse.
  • Daylight will be drawn into the building as far as possible, reducing the need for artificial light.
  • The solar cells integrated in the façade and roof will be an important step towards an energy-generating building.
  • Materials will be suited for reuse following the usable life of the building.
  • The size and shape of the atriums will be designed to promote natural air flow, reducing the need for mechanical ventilation.