DC Ingram Micro | Tilburg

Daylight-rich DC Ingram Micro finds ultimate sustainability in construction team

Commissioned by HVBM Vastgoed, Heerkens van Bavel Bouw is realizing a distribution center in Tilburg for Ingram Micro, which will be made suitable for De Bijenkorf. "Thanks to a construction team with a building developer, it is possible to combine an efficient realization with a high level of installations, culminating in BREEAM 'Outstanding,'" says project manager John Rooijakkers of Heerkens van Bavel Bouw.

Ingram Micro Commerce & Lifecycle Services provides the logistics for the largest webshops in the Netherlands, including those of the Bijenkorf. At business park de Vossenberg in Tilburg-Northwest there was still room for such a warehouse. The realization of large distribution centers - in this case with 31,246 m² of warehouse space, 6,546 m² of mezzanine and 3,233 m² of office space, is "booming. "The construction of DCs is no longer a simple matter, at least not per se," says Rooijakkers. "The set of requirements with regard to BREEAM 'Outstanding' has been tightened up to such an extent that you have to have all matters relating to certification already in order in the preliminary process and procurement. This is best done in a construction team context, especially if you are talking about an all-electric building with a CHP system."

Developer and builder are affiliated with each other and thus were able to find each other easily. "Regular partners were able to join on time and with Quadrant4 a good BREEAM consultancy was provided. A construction team approach also comes in handy in the engineering and finishing, because the built-in package of installations and fittings that Ingram Micro handles itself could be combined with our construction methodology in a good way and at an early stage. After all, a DC is expected to be there within a year, and the commissioning date is fixed."

Sustainable implementation
The DC for Ingram Micro consists of a large warehouse, a mezzanine, office and meeting rooms and a canteen at two corners of the building, with associated washroom facilities. The building has three floors. Additional mezzanine floors and pick towers will be constructed in the warehouse by the tenant. This will create additional storage capacity. "We have cut the construction flow into two parts, into a structural shell and a finishing part. In part to provide for the early installation of the fit-out package." 

The shell is traditional, with a concrete floor founded on steel, a steel structure fitted with sandwich panels, concrete parapets and a spacious "facade band" of alucobond and aluminum window frames and curtain walls. "Orders will be picked manually and employees will have plenty of natural light at their disposal in this sustainable building.  

There will be a WKO with open sources and sustainable refrigerants, the roof will be invested with 2.9 MW of PV systems and the building will be equipped with LED lighting." The installation part contains most of the BREEAM 'Outstanding' points, Rooijakkers said. "Sustainability measures will also be taken during construction, for example through proper waste separation and recycling and lean construction based on sustainable transport logistics. We will deliver the building in May."