Sustainable, state-of-the-art cooling and freezing at strategic location

A new distribution center of 50,000 m² built-up area on Logistic Park A12 near Waddinxveen. This is what Montea, developer and investor in logistics real estate, is realizing together with Lekkerland, a provider of retail solutions and logistics services (part of the German supermarket chain REWE). A state-of-the-art refrigerated and frozen distribution center is being developed at the park for Lekkerland, with the highest possible GPR score.

The roof will be used for the installation of solar panels, creating a roof area of 80,000 square meters with the first phase completed in 2022. "Of course, we looked at issues such as grid congestion. For supply to the DC, no problems are to be expected in this area," said Montea project developer Dylan Boudens. Montea has DCs in strategic locations in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany that it always owns. "We develop for our own portfolio and not with an eye on sales and profit maximization. We do always work closely with our tenants in developments."

Box-in-box

A refrigerated DC is being developed for Lekkerland with an average GPR score of 8.3. A special feature is that the shipping area around the cold store and freezer cell and the area around the docks will also be refrigerated. The freezer cell measures approximately 7,200 m² with an attached 5,800 m² cold store prepared to be converted into a freezer cell. The project was completed in mid-September 2024.

A team led by Remmers Construction Group worked with established partners to finish the DC, which is designed based on the most efficient state-of-the-art solutions. The construction is traditional, with a concrete plinth and a steel structure finished with a steel roof, sandwich panels and a green facade. The green facade is formed by an overgrown landscape element, through which two tightly framed offices protrude.

Residual heat

Boudens: "We use a box-in-box construction for the cooled part with a high-quality finish, such as highly insulating Quadcore panels for insulation. The residual heat from the CO2 ammonia plant for cooling is used for the underfloor heating of the cooled section. At the same time, the building is flexible for possible other tenants in the future, with a Class 2 warehouse floor."

Battery Parks

Montea is investing EUR 12.5 million in battery parks in the Netherlands in the near future. By installing battery parks, surplus solar power generated locally can be stored for times when the sun is not shining or when extra power is needed. "Waddinxveen is one of the locations where we are investigating the possibility of battery storage," Boudens said. "The fact that we are investigating this highlights our ambitions in terms of sustainability. As a long-term investor, we are committed to sustainability in the broadest sense in all our developments. With this, we provide our locations with a future-proof energy infrastructure, which in this case is also important for Lekkerland."