Family Entertainment Center Zero 055 | Apeldoorn

Construction and engineering merged

Smart decisions keep budget in check 

Speed demons in Apeldoorn and the surrounding area still have to be patient. But in July of this year they can indulge in the new Zero 055. In this Family Entertainment Center they will find an indoor and outdoor kart track, a Lasertag area, a Multi Escaperoom and Fluo-bowling tracks. And that "all electric.

For the design and construction of Family Entertainment Center Zero 055 in Apeldoorn, Accres entered into discussions with Bouwbedrijf Nieuwenhuis. Here they found architect, structural engineer, calculator and contractor under one roof. They took the attractions as their starting point and designed the building around them. Jacob Kolk, general manager of Bouwbedrijf Nieuwenhuis: "Because we have everything under one roof, we can give an all-in price or - in modern terms  - one amount for 'Design & Build.'" Meanwhile, construction is in full swing. 

Tight budget
To orient itself, Bouwbedrijf Nieuwenhuis first visited similar centers. Spain has many such entertainment centers, but in the Netherlands they are relatively rare. Next, Nieuwenhuis had to design a similar center within the given budget. "Client Accres is primarily focused on sports accommodations.  For the overall building plan, she is working with an investor. For us, this meant that there was no stretch in the budget. By making the design more compact and running the go-kart track twice through a high part of the building, we succeeded."

Sustainability
Another challenge for Bouwbedrijf Nieuwenhuis was sustainability. Client and investor wanted - as much as possible - a self-sufficient building. Kolk: "To achieve this, we equipped the building with solar panels that provide the energy for, for example, charging the electric karts, LED lighting and managing the building. We have adapted the construction of the roof to this. It is now calculated for the roof's own weight and the additional weight of the solar panels." Furthermore, Bouwbedrijf Nieuwenhuis builds with high airtightness. The connections of walls, window frames and roofs are realized with care. "We have certificates like 'Keurhout' for this and already a lot of experience with BREEAM and GPR."

Large spans
The go-kart track with its many curves called for substantial spaces, which in turn called for large spans. But large spans affect the price, so the contractor looked for alternatives. "We chose the layout as smartly as possible and strategically placed the necessary columns," Kolk says. "Anyone looking over the space now almost gets the impression that it was built without columns. Yet the building is also future-proof. With relatively minor interventions, the building can be made suitable for other uses."  

Merge know-how
Kolk believes in the method of construction as applied at Zero 055. "A building used to come about through client, architect, structural engineer and installer. But by merging technical and architectural know-how from the very first moment, more turns out to be possible within the target budget with a better result. The design time is reduced, which also has a positive financial effect. I detect quite a bit of cold feet in this area, but I suspect that the entire construction world is moving in this direction. Clients who take the plunge usually look back on the construction period with satisfaction and appear to feel good about it."