Large-scale building with consideration for flora and fauna

Basically, Park 34 Crossings is a distribution center like many others, but the construction is different. There is not one crane set up, but four in a row. The superintendent does not move on foot, but in an electric golf cart. And working on the roofing is a team of no fewer than a dozen roofers. The immense size of Park 34 Crossings impacts all facets of the construction process.

It was developer Over Engh Vastgoed that spotted the plot on which the XXL DC Park 34 Crossings is now being built. It realized that there was an outside opportunity here and sought contact with the landowner. "The land scarcity had set in," says Misja Bakker, director/owner of Over Engh Vastgoed. "Hulst is a stone's throw away from the port of Antwerp, and the large size of the plot plays exactly into the needs of today's e-commerce logistics companies. They prefer one large working location to three smaller ones. The maximum size of a distribution center used to be 30,000 to 40,000 m2, now it is 60,000 to 150,000 m2." Over Engh Vastgoed arranged the permits and developed the project in cooperation with Hercuton.

Applicable name

What immediately stands out about Park 34 Crossings in business park Hogeweg V are the dimensions of the distribution center. The plot is over 20 hectares, which is comparable to about 40 soccer fields. The distribution center itself will be about 118,000 m² in size, and around it, 1,000 parking spaces and 85 parking spaces will be set up. "The dimensions even resonate with the name," says Maarten Bakker, general manager of Hercuton. "A site of this size, which will soon blend into its surroundings, can rightly be called a park."

Timber and concrete shell

The construction of the distribution center will be built with concrete columns and wooden beams. Not a regular choice, nor the cheapest. Yet this choice was made with conviction. "A shell of concrete and wood is and remains palpable throughout the building," says Bakker. "It creates a pleasant working environment. In addition, it is sustainable; 5,000 m3 of wood is incorporated in the roof alone. This stores a tremendous amount of CO2! We would have preferred to combine the wood with circular concrete, but this ran up against
logistical problems."

Four units

To be prepared for multiple scenarios, the DC is divided into four units, which can be rented out separately. Hercuton also uses this four-unit division in organizing the construction, but even the dimensions of a unit are large. "The large scale makes everything a logistical challenge. Just placing and then monitoring the orders
is a day job."

Nature Inclusive

Construction in Hulst is being done with respect for the flora and fauna on and around the lot. A local interest group wanted the building to blend into nature as much as possible and be screened by a slope with planting. Proper planting would also benefit biodiversity. Many points were already provided for in the plan, but in consultation with the interest group, even more emphasis was placed on this, benefiting the project. "In consultation, native plant species were chosen that strengthen the spatial integration and promote biodiversity," Bakker notes. "Here we also got to know Hulst municipality as a positive, involved party."