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The Value Added Plan
At Business Park Amsterdam Osdorp, the new multi-channel distribution center for Brocacef is under construction. From this strategic location on the outskirts of Amsterdam of Amsterdam, the supplier of medicines and medical devices for pharmacies, hospitals and institutions can supply the entire city. But the location is more than strategic. Stimulated and supported by area developer SADC, Brocacef is also realizing a huge reduction in CO2 emissions here.
Schiphol Area Development Company - SADC for short - is committed to social returns in addition to financial returns, including contributing to the transition to a circular economy. It therefore imposes requirements on new construction in the area of sustainability.
"There are numerous ways to match this ambition," knows Dennis Meerburg, a member of SADC's Sustainability Team along with project manager Yasha Schadee and others, which also includes TU Delft. "To all users of 'our' locations we set a number of standard requirements. These include installing solar panels, limiting energy consumption and using sustainable materials. But there is still room for improvement. To achieve this, we ask the users to develop a Value Added Plan. How do they intend to contribute to a circular economy?"
The SADC Sustainability team would like to lend a hand in this regard. "Some clients have already embraced the circular idea and taken measures, others have yet to take the first step. Brocacef is an absolute frontrunner. It has included in its Value Added Plan the ambition to distribute products emission-free. It does this with electric cars and electrified cargo bikes, with sufficient charging stations in the parking lot, but also, for example, at the docks where truck drivers wait for deliveries to be loaded." Brocacef's roof will be invested with 5,758 solar panels, meeting its own energy needs. The amount is comparable to the energy consumed by 500 households in a year.
Brocacef is also committed to visual sustainability. Planted facades and roofs contribute to biodiversity. And then there is the use of circular building materials. Meerburg: "The concrete used is produced with significantly less environmentally damaging cement and as many building materials as possible are re-used, repaired, refurbished or recycled. In Brocacef's estimation, the total of these measures creates a footprint that is 41% lower than the norm."
Meerburg realizes that area developer SADC has the most influence at the area level. To let the circular ambition resonate into the usage phase, he seeks dialogue as much as possible. Once the reservation agreement for a site is established, he offers his support in the mandatory elaboration of the Value Added Plan. "The client decides on which topics he wants to excel. Only after approval of the Value Added Plan is the ground lease signed. Only together can we achieve a sustainable working location."
"You get a lot in return," Meerburg emphasizes. "At workplaces that SADC develops, you want to work as an employee and be successful as an entrepreneur. No dreary gray boxes, but nice working environments with plenty of light and surrounded by greenery. Brocacef is now in the realization phase, but will have a beautiful, sustainable location by the summer of 2023."
At Brocacef's new distribution center, Van den Pol Elektrotechniek is deploying its specialty broadly. This includes the complete E-supply, PV panels, charging stations, intrusion installation, data network, access control and LED lighting. "Via a KNX system, we integrate the lighting with other installations," says project leader Electrical Engineering Johnny Gielen. "BREEAM requires that the exterior lighting automatically dims to 10% after 11 p.m.. For night deliveries, the lighting switches on to 100% after presenting an access pass, sufficient for safe unloading."
The intrusion system is class 4. "This requires a lot of specific solutions and knowledge," says Richard de Keijzer, Security and ICT project leader at Van den Pol. When the burglar system is switched on, the lighting and sound system go off. "Another example where intertwining our installations results in less energy consumption and more ease of use."
Automatic scaling down
With this project, grid capacity is limited. "There is 2 MVA available," says Gielen. "Sufficient for the basic installation, but due to additional requirements there is a potential shortfall. However, not all installations require maximum energy at the same time. In consultation with Brocacef, the installation is set up so that when peak load approaches, certain components automatically scale down. We are applying this smart solution more and more often."
Understanding customer needs
In the case of the Brocacef new building, the end user, Heembouw and Van den Pol sat around the table regularly at an early stage. "While brainstorming, building and installations became increasingly concrete, with optimum insight into the client's wishes and plenty of room for everyone's expertise," says De Keijzer. "This kind of working method greatly benefits the end result. As far as I'm concerned, this is how we fly every project."
Conditioned rooms
The rooms in which Brocacef's medicines are stored must meet high standards. For example, the air must be free of dust and it must be possible to adjust pressure, temperature and humidity levels accurately. The specialist in these customized conditioned spaces is Inoflex.
Text | Liliane Verwoolde Image | Inoflex
The partition walls of the "clean rooms" are constructed with sandwich panels, the interior walls of which are easy to clean and do not accept dust. Inoflex delivers the rooms completely airtight. "This lays the foundation," says Gregor Massop, commercial technical consultant for Inoflex. "Then an overpressure is regulated in the rooms, which keeps any dust outside the clean room when the door is opened. The temperature is controlled with air handling units. This brings dust-free air at the right temperature and with an overpressure of about 50 Pascal into the clean-room."
With a total length of 185 meters and a width of 100 meters, the interior of the distribution center is among the larger assignments for Inoflex. "Inoflex is supplying some 4,000 m2 of panels and realizing 13 clean-rooms here," says Massop. "A nice, logistical challenge because clean rooms are being realized on both the first floor and the first floor. The preparation phase is now behind us; we have now started implementation."
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