New building Mediavaert is ready

Wood in the lead role

On the Van der Madeweg in Amsterdam-Duivendrecht, one of the largest wood-hybrid office buildings in Europe was completed in early March: the new Dutch headquarters of DPG Media. Together with contractor Ron Nijs of contractor BESIX Nederland, we look back on an impressive construction project, in which wood plays a special leading role.

With 'Mediavaert' DPG Media and its development and construction partners give a positive impulse to the media company and the environment. Thanks to the application of 6,500 m³ of wood in the construction, the new building has only low CO2 emissions. In combination with the use of (partially) recycled concrete, ceramic facade panels produced in the Netherlands, a heat and cold storage system with heat pumps, solar panels and a flexible installation concept, an exceptionally sustainable building has been realized that should be fully in use by June. In addition to the use of wood, the attention to greenery is also special. Several roof gardens, a green circulation area and a green interior with 13 trees of 4.5 and 6 meters high provide a pleasant working atmosphere and promote the well-being and health of the employees of, among others, Het Parool, de Volkskrant, Trouw, Qmusic, NU.nl, vtwonen and Libelle.

Interesting learning experience

Nijs is particularly impressed with the hybrid combination of wood, concrete and steel in Mediavaert. "The construction of the new headquarters was an interesting learning experience both for BESIX and for me personally," he says. "Timber construction is a relatively new field, which is often still viewed with suspicion in the market. With the construction of Mediavaert, however, we are showing that we do not turn our hand to innovations and challenging projects. In order to steer the construction in the right direction, we carefully searched for the right partners. In order to coordinate construction and installations down to the last detail, we also relied heavily on BIM. This approach worked out very well. No major clashes occurred during construction."

Impressive spiral staircases and columns

One of the most beautiful elements of the new building, according to Nijs, are the impressive spiral staircases in the atrium. "Because of the large size of these stairs, steel structures were chosen. Whereas the outside has been given a white finish, the inside is stylishly covered with oak treads, risers and cheeks. In doing so, the stairs perfectly match the wood-hybrid character of the building." He also praises the three-story high columns and the many vision work in this project. "Employees and visitors can experience the leading role of wood in all possible places." 

Wood-hybrid construction

DPG Media's 44,000-square-foot new building was completed in just 27 months of construction time. Construction of the parking basement began in late 2021, says Nijs. "The basement is made entirely of concrete. Above it, we chose a wood-hybrid construction with wooden floors, beams and columns, which were erected in just seven months and remained largely visible. A concrete compression layer was poured on top of the wooden floors, accommodating the natural movement of wood, ensuring the necessary rigidity and contributing to the desired soundproofing. And the three stability cores are also made of concrete, while for the cantilever, a steel structure filled in with wood was chosen." All wooden structural parts are treated with a special coating, he says. "To protect the wood even during construction, the structural parts were kept wrapped as long as possible. After all, you can't just touch up any damage." During construction, the moisture percentage of the wood was also continuously monitored. "Here we applied a stricter requirement than the timber builder, so that we were always on the safe side of the coin."

Build faster, lighter and better

The choice of wood was motivated primarily by the speed with which construction could be carried out, says Nijs. "In the structural phase, 1,400 m² of floor could be realized per week, including beams and columns! Also, the material is considerably lighter than concrete, which puts less strain on the foundation. Moreover, wood is special and better for the environment." Compared to traditional construction methods, such as concrete construction, wood production produces significantly less CO2 and nitrogen emissions. "Wood is a renewable product. During their growth, trees absorb CO2, which remains stored in the material. Even after processing. Assuming 622 kg of CO2 per m3 of wood, Mediavaert's construction retains as much as 4,043,000 kg of CO2! This is more than enough to offset the concrete of the stability cores and compression layers." The use of wood also contributes to an aesthetically pleasing working environment.