All building elements must be resistant to wind and salt

On Maasvlakte-West in Rotterdam, Bouwcombinatie Hercuton/Remco Ruimtebouw is building a turnkey distribution center of nearly 35,000 m². The warehouse will be built so that it can be easily divided for multiple users. 

DC Distripark Maasvlakte is being built on a 56,000 m² lot, of which the building covers some 35,000 m². Of this, 2,000 m² is mezzanine and 2,400 m² office. It is certainly not the first distribution center for the construction consortium and many construction activities are standard. Yet this distribution center requires measures and facilities that are far from standard....

Protection from salt and wind

"An important factor that makes this project special is its location," explains Ron Drijver, Hercuton's commercial manager. "We are building by the sea, with all the specific weather conditions characteristic of this. This means that all building elements that come into contact with this must be resistant to salt and wind. For this, the sandwich panels have been treated with a special coating. Also, all load docks are hot-dip galvanized."

Anchoring solar panels

The DC's energy supply is regulated by solar panels, and here too the climate requires special measures. To cope with the tensile forces of the regular strong winds, the roof has to be additionally weighted and the roofing has to be adjusted accordingly. Drijver: "This is applied in smaller strips and secured in many more places than normal."

BREEAM 'Outstanding'

Building to the standards of BREEAM 'Very good' is already standard for Hercuton, but for DC Distripark Maasvlakte, the client aspires to the standards of BREEAM 'Outstanding'. "It is a wish," Drijver clarifies, "not yet a must. But of course we are taking this into account. With a Natura 2000 area nearby, we had an area calculation made in advance of our nitrogen emissions. We now know that at least this cannot be a game-changer." 

Fast switching

Even with all the extra measures, the work is going smoothly and on schedule. "We have everything in-house," Drijver says of this. "Architects, structural engineers and draughtsmen walk into each other's offices within Hercuton very easily. This allows them to switch quickly. But the same - and it should be said - applies to the Port Authority. Whether our contacts have to decide on nitrogen emissions, driveways or quality, they always respond quickly and clearly. As a result, even new decisions do not cause any delays."

Currently, a tenant has already signed up for a portion of DC Distripark. "A great advantage, because this one was able to participate from day one. His tenant wishes were therefore - in addition to the basic development - immediately included in the construction." Around May of this year, DC Distripark Maasvlakte will be delivered.