One crisis after another and yet ... Building nitrogen-free and emission-free with wood

A beautiful wooden building surrounded by nineteen outdoor enclosures provides the ecologically sound shelter for animals in need of temporary help. The design for the wildlife shelter was so biobased that no nitrogen or corona crisis could disrupt the tight implementation plan. 

Avolare Game Shelter consists of an education building, a care wing and nineteen outdoor enclosures, together good for the care of 6,000 to 8,000 animals, mostly birds. To build the wildlife sanctuary, Gert-Jan Nefkens partnered with Bouwbedrijf van Engen. This construction company opts for sustainable, nature-friendly solutions and builds with ecological materials such as wood, wood fiber and cellulose insulation.

The nitrogen crisis

Construction company van Engen first went through the permit process and then demolished the farm that stood on the property. Then the nitrogen crisis announced itself. "That timing was to our advantage," admits Tom van Kuijk, project manager of Bouwbedrijf van Engen, ruefully. "After all, emissions-free demolition is difficult. But with the new construction design of the wooden building, the emissions were fine. It was below the maximum permitted NOx emissions, so the process hardly had to be adjusted. Doing the construction and lifting work electrically reduced NOx emissions sufficiently. If we had to, we could even bring this down to zero."    

Coronacrisis

It did not stop there, however. Construction company van Engen had barely emerged from the nitrogen crisis when the corona crisis broke out. Now it had to deal with problems of a different order; absent employees, closed factories and delayed deliveries, while the deadline remained unchanged. "That caused quite a bit of stress. But fortunately, we have capable carpenters and we work with regular subcontractors and suppliers. They were all willing to go the extra mile for us. This even ensured that we were able to deliver the outdoor stays within the deadline as well."

Impressive CO2 storage

Partly because of this, both crises did not leave Van Kuijk with scars. On the contrary. The construction of Avolare stands in his memory as a great project in wood, which his entire team - and certainly the carpenters - enjoyed. "Working with wood gives peace of mind. It allows itself to be shaped and is soundless. In addition, the total building accounts for the storage of 106,824 kilograms of CO2. That's an impressive amount!" And about the result: "The building is already incredibly beautiful and will only become more beautiful in the future. The wood will age and the vegetation on the roofs and in the gardens will mature. Then it becomes one with its surroundings."  

Construction Info

Client
Gert-Jan Nefkens

Architect
ORGA Architect, Nijmegen

Constructor
Lüning consulting firm, Velp

Executive
Construction company van Engen BV, Kockengen

Installations
H2O Group, Woerden

Construction
€4.5 million

Construction period
January 2020 - April 2021