Westfield Mall of the Netherlands, Leidschendam | 'Demolition equals recycling for us'

The shell demolition and gutting of the existing stores at Westfield Mall of the Netherlands is being carried out by Vlasman, directly on behalf of URW. "That means that we are involved from 2014, when the first demolition work starts for the construction of a parking garage, until completion. If the client says, 'it has to be done tomorrow,' we are ready. And 98% of the demolition materials are reused; demolition equals recycling with us," said Manager of Demolition Hans Herkhof.

Concepts like "circularity" are far from new to Vlasman, says Herkhof. "Whether you call it recycling, circularity or urban mining - as you often hear these days, it has been the order of the day with us for years." And so also in Westfield Mall of the Netherlands, which is being carried out according to the BREEAM-NL Demolition and Dismantling Certificate (**). Various requirements are imposed on waste sorting, documentation, transport and emissions, among other things. "Most of the demolition material is concrete, which is one of the most circular building products. For example, we are a participant in the Alphen a/d Rijn Concrete Covenant, in which various users and producers of concrete are united to form a closed-loop, which, for example, can reduce the transport of gravel. So the future has been around for a while. Even from cabling, new copper wire is being made by processors."

Flexible
However, demolition has more quality aspects than sustainability, Herkhof continues. "The client has high standards in terms of subcontracting. In the area of safety during demolition of public areas that remain in use, we have built a good relationship. The level of cooperation, also with the environment, is high. For example, we assist in the permit process. That was picked up here by Alphaplan, but we submitted the work plan and relieve our client as much as possible. If URW says it has to be done tomorrow, we are ready. If work has to be done at night, such as along the streetcar line, we are also prepared to do so. The good cooperation has ensured, among other things, that we are also allowed to strip the stores, a process that is being phased and will continue until 2020. We have now demolished 60,000 square meters of GFA, including the Jumbo, Fresh! and the Berberis block, as well as the stacked construction."