Textbook example for circular demolition, construction and furnishing

De Drait sports hall in Drachten

The central government aims to achieve a 100% circular economy by 2050. In order to achieve this ambitious goal, governments are required to encourage the production and (re)use of circular products and services starting in 2030. Several places in our country are already pioneering circular demolition, construction and design. A nice project example can be found in Drachten, where a sports hall has been realized according to this vision. With the construction of De Drait sports hall, the Smallingerland municipality and Wind Design + Build are proving that circular construction can go hand in hand with an attractive design and greening of the environment.

The twenty committed and skilled architects, structural engineers, engineers, project managers and project leaders of Wind Design + Build realize turnkey/general contracting projects throughout the Netherlands. "We are responsible from the first sketch to operation, completely unburdening clients," says director Roelof Wind. "Our specialty is the Design & Build realization of schools, multifunctional centers, swimming pools and sports halls, of which sports hall De Drait in Drachten is an excellent example."

Old sports hall as donor building

The Design & Build project in Drachten was awarded after a tender process, Wind explains. "The call for tenders asked very specifically that as many materials and raw materials as possible be harvested from the old sports hall and given a sustainable new use. Here the R-ladder of circularity was taken as a starting point. Already in the tender phase and together with circular demolition partner Bork, we conducted a site survey, based on which we created a sketch design and circular vision for the new building. After the project award, design and vision were further explored and elaborated, where we also used various archive drawings as a starting point."

Saved from the landfill

"Despite the new sports hall being longer and wider than its predecessor, we were able to retain 80% of the existing foundation," says project manager Jeroen Schurink. "And several steel structural parts have also been given a sustainable second life. The same goes for the old sports floor. In terms of the interior, for example, the grandstand, overhead doors, benches and clothes hooks have been reused, which also applies to a lot of (structural) wood." For example, the old wooden ceilings have been recovered in the walls, the ceilings of the corridors and the hospitality areas, Wind says. "With this, we connect to the third step on the R-ladder: Reuse. For example, by retaining the old foundations wherever possible, we were able to save substantially on demolition work, environmental nuisance and transport movements. This also benefited safety and the environment. Materials that we could not process in the new Drait were made available to Bork's circular intermediate station for application in third projects." Says Schurink, "By not roughly demolishing the old sports hall but carefully dismantling it, as much as 90-95% of all building materials could be 'saved' from the landfill."

Crude construction is completion

Following circular strategies such as Reuse and Recycle, the top steps of the R ladder (Rethink, Refuse and Reduce) have also received much attention. After all, what you don't put on, you don't have to buy, transport and produce, Schurink believes. "For example, in the hospitality areas and in the dirty feet zone at the entrance, a flattened clean concrete floor was chosen. This made it possible to save on PVC rolls and glue, without affecting the beautiful look of the sports hall. Because as many parts as possible are detachably connected, sustainable reuse in the future also becomes possible."

Understated, demountable and green

The new sports hall blends very nicely into the neighborhood, Wind emphasizes. "Because De Drait is in the middle of a residential neighborhood, we kept the design very subdued. Characteristic are the sleek KlickBrick (Wienerberger) brick facades, which are dry stacked and fully remountable. Moreover, at the request of local residents, several green facades have been applied. The facades also consist of preserved wood with the FSC seal of approval, and because of the favorable CO2 footprint, wooden window frames were very deliberately chosen." Wood is also prominently used in the sports hall itself, he says. "An eye-catcher here is also the three-meter high Pulastic® Sound Wall, on which a beautiful signing with real athletes has been applied. All the clubs that will use the hall will recognize themselves in it." The sports hall is divisible into three hall sections and functions gas-free and energy-neutral. The application of approximately 394 solar panels and showers with heat recovery make an important contribution to this. The roofs of the sports hall are designed as green roofs, which encourages biodiversity in the area. In addition, this slows rainwater runoff towards the municipal sewer system and residents of the adjacent apartment buildings benefit from a beautiful green view.

Business card in the backyard

With the completion of De Drait sports hall, Wind Design + Build has gained another beautiful new business card in its backyard. "The ambition of the municipality was an absolute booster for us as well as for our building partners, to explore circularity in all its facets," says Schurink. "From architect to executor and carpenter: everyone knew how to enthuse and stimulate each other, resulting in a great circular sports hall."