Thinking Sustainably in Cycles

BLACKPRINT: Mr Terberg, what are the special features of your new ‘Omega’ office building?

Maarten Terberg: The building is part of the "Ambachtsezoom" business park, the first and so far only completely energy-neutral and circular business park in the Netherlands. The initiative for this ambitious project came from the municipality of Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht. Rather than simply developing another business park in which some buildings might eventually stand empty, those responsible were determined from the outset that the entire site should be completely sustainable. In this case, that meant that all buildings would be both energy-neutral and circular. If necessary, the individual buildings and their respective construction elements can be completely dismantled and then reused, in whole or in part, at another location.

BLACKPRINT: The new Omega building is a central component of this ambitious project. So the goal of energy neutrality and circularity was established from the outset in the municipality's development plan?

Maarten Terberg: Yes, exactly. The municipality gave us quite strict specifications and then closely monitored compliance with all of them in a complex monitoring process. In addition, the municipality listed other optional measures for which additional funding was available. This particularly applied to the use of wood, which we decided on together with the client in order to minimise the building's carbon footprint.

BLACKPRINT: What specific measures did you take to achieve the specified goal of energy neutrality?

Maarten Terberg: There are basically two things you can do: first, the building's own energy generation, and second, the reduction of energy consumption. We achieved the former by integrating a heat pump and implementing a solar roof, among other things. In addition, we aligned the design and designed it with shading elements to ensure optimal solar radiation in winter and summer, thus requiring as little energy as possible for cooling and heating. Another important factor is that the client and user of the building is a proven specialist in the field of building automation, and we accordingly integrated various systems to optimize energy use. Through the interaction of various measures, we have created a completely energy-neutral building that can, in principle, be operated energy-self-sufficiently using only a battery.

BLACKPRINT:  At the same time, a large-scale dismantling of the building is possible. What does that mean in concrete terms, and what requirements did circularity place on the planning?

Maarten Terberg: For us, it was also the first time we had planned circularly on this scale. Accordingly, we lacked experience in many areas, and the preparation for implementation took longer than usual. Due to the very strict specifications for the site, we also had to develop innovative solutions in many areas that we hadn't implemented before. Therefore, it was a great help to us to have been accompanied and advised by an expert from the municipality right from the start. Looking back, we can also see that the planning time can be significantly reduced once you have worked through the various processes. This is especially true when it is a timber structure, as in our case. Here, too, we received great support from the timber construction companies in using as few materials as possible. The actual on-site construction ultimately only took two weeks!

BLACKPRINT: What other advantages do you see in building with wood?

Maarten Terberg: Wood is a highly sustainable material and, at the same time, ideally suited for circular construction because the elements can easily be reused elsewhere after the building is demolished. Added to this is its ease of processing: With timber construction, for example, recesses in the facade can be created without much effort and without creating cold bridges. Last but not least, the high quality of life, the pleasant room atmosphere, and the pleasant smell also speak in favour of building with wood. All of this is also noticeable in the Omega building. As a result, on-site staff are very satisfied.

BLACKPRINT: The new Omega building in Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht bears a striking resemblance to the "De Curve" office building in IJsselstein, which was completed in 2017 based on designs by EVA. What’s behind this?

Maarten Terberg: It was ultimately more of a coincidence: The client came across the project in IJsselstein through an architectural magazine and was so impressed by it that he wanted to have his own building designed in a similar architectural style and subsequently commissioned us directly to plan it. Based on the specific qualities of the design in IJsselstein and adapted to the new conditions, we then developed an independent design with a similarly organically rounded glass façade, but with significantly different dimensions and details, and which is also implemented not in concrete but as a circular timber structure. Overall, one could still say that the Omega building is a kind of "De Curve 2.0" in terms of sustainability. And that both buildings belong to the same "family," but relate to each other not like brother and sister, but more like nephew and niece.

BLACKPRINT: An important part of the design are the two roof surfaces of the Omega building, which are implemented as a green roof and a solar roof, respectively. What requirements had to be considered here with regard to circularity?

Maarten Terberg: The sedum roof plays a key role in the sustainable building concept because it enables a significant improvement in biodiversity within the business park while simultaneously ensuring optimized cooling and thermal insulation of the ground floor. With regard to the Cradle-to-Cradle goal, we faced the particular challenge of not being able to use glued composite materials in the roof area. Equally important was that the roof waterproofing used had to be loose-laid or mechanically fastened and could not contain any toxic components. On the advice of the building contractor, who had already worked with CARLISLE® products, the waterproofing materials SURE-WELD® TPO/FPO and HERTALAN® EPDM were used. Both tracks are completely free of harmful substances and can be easily removed and reused elsewhere in the spirit of a circular economy.

BLACKPRINT: The project is now complete. Do you think that the topic of circularity will continue to gain traction?

Maarten Terberg: Yes, I'm pretty sure it will become more and more prevalent. Generally speaking, it's best to stop building new buildings altogether for sustainability reasons. After all, there are numerous empty buildings everywhere. And not all of them are beloved monuments; there are also numerous buildings that are perhaps a little harder to like. However, due to their structure, these buildings are often perfectly suited to being reused in other ways. In reality, of course, this won't always be possible, and we will continue to need new buildings. Fundamentally, however, we should try to consume as little CO2 as possible. Like with the Omega building!

BLACKPRINT: Thank you very much, thank you for the interview!

The interview was conducted by Robert Uhde.