As much as 30,000 m2 in six months

Sustainable expansion for Wehkamp's XXL distribution center in Zwolle

Wehkamp's largest automated e-commerce DC in Europe is located in Zwolle's Hessenpoort business park. Until recently, the Logistic Service Center Zwolle was over 110,000 m2 in size, with 28 picking stations, 525,000 storage locations, 3.5 km of hanging goods and 15,000 solar panels. The distribution center opened in 2015 and expanded significantly in 2019. In 2021, the Wehkamp Studios were also integrated and between November 2022 and May 2023 another 30,000 m2 of warehouse with offices was added, intended for the distribution of large goods such as furniture. This brings the total area of the Logistic Service Center Zwolle to over 140,000 m2. The expansion meets the latest guidelines for sustainability. A good example of this are the building-related installations, which were realized by in-house installer Batenburg Installatietechniek.

Batenburg Installatietechniek has been associated with Wehkamp's e-commerce DC as the in-house installer since 2019. "Following on from the installations in Hall 2, we have already had the opportunity to perform many expansion, adaptation and service work," says André Roetert Steenbruggen, Technical Director at Batenburg Installatietechniek. "When the realization of hall 3 arose, both property owner WDP and user Wehkamp Retail Group put us forward as installer. Commissioned by contractor Goldbeck, we provided the complete building-related installation. From sewerage and water pipes to sanitary installations, climate installations, light and power installations, access control, intrusion detection and camera surveillance. We work according to the latest building regulations, such as BENG. Because the distribution center is located on a gas-free lot, we have developed an all-electric system. For example, with regard to heating and cooling."

No energy lost

For the air-conditioning of the offices, Batenburg Installatietechniek installed a Variable Refrigerant Flow heat pump system. "A 3-pipe VRF system was chosen that allows simultaneous heating and cooling," says Roetert Steenbruggen. "Special Heat-Recovery boxes actively exchange heat and cold. Thanks to this technique, no energy is lost and considerable savings can be made on mechanical generation." The warehouse is equipped with a low-temperature heating system with indirectly fired air heaters and heat pumps, which get their energy from the outside air.

High quality, short lead time

Particularly special about this project is the speed of construction, Roetert Steenbruggen emphasizes. "30,000 m2 in six months is not nothing! Thanks to good engineering and preparation, however, we can deliver this work well and on schedule. We have extensively modeled and clashed the entire installation in BIM, which means that construction run-ups are hardly an issue. Moreover, this approach provides opportunities for prefabrication. Various installation parts are prefabricated and assembled on site. Think, for example, of the fittings for the climate systems in the technical area." The bulk of the work is carried out with its own professionals, which means Batenburg Installatietechniek can guarantee high quality. "Especially with the electrical installations, we connect to the facilities in the existing building, so we work with known and proven techniques. That also keeps speed in the project."

As an example, Roetert Steenbruggen mentions the building management and access control system. "Another special feature is the prefabricated voltage rail, which is connected to the main distributor of Hall 2 and goes right through the wall to the main distributor of the extension." Approximately 2,000 additional solar panels on the roof complete the expansion.