Working to the deadline with process

Other than LEAN plans

Anyone driving along the A50 can no longer ignore it. Van Acht's new warehouse is in a prime location and is equipped with the latest developments in logistics, transport and warehousing. The building also scores highly in terms of sustainability: BREEAM 'Outstanding'.

In early 2019, Paul van Acht went to the municipality of St. Oedenrode for the first time for expansion options for his cold storage facility. But no matter which parcel of land passed by, it continued to fit and measure. Company land in Veghel offered room for expansion, now and in the future. Of the 12.5 ha purchased by Van Acht, 6 ha are now built on. The new storage includes 43,640 m² warehouse, 12,229 m² mezzanine and 1,716 m² office space.

Task distribution

After the purchase, Van Acht took a special approach. He remained involved in the development and execution of the building plan. All choices were discussed with Aan de Stegge Twello, after which the Twello construction company made the plans executable. "A very pleasant form of cooperation for us," says Bart Besemer, project manager at Aan de Stegge Twello. "The tasks had to be divided well. In addition, we had to deal with a short execution time and the bar was high in every respect. This was the first project to apply the 2020 BREEAM 'Outstanding' standards."

BREEAM 'Outstanding'

BREEAM 'Outstanding' certification represents the highest stage of sustainable construction. Certified properties are gasless and have a gray water circuit, WTW ventilation system, LED lighting, solar panels and cladding made from recycled panels. "This is just a sampling of the sustainability requirements," Besemer says. "The 2020 standards also required new calculation methods. Within Aan de Stegge Twello, we have a BREEAM expert who has professionally supervised this process."

Self-directed teams

Whereas deadlines are usually met by tight LEAN planning, process-based working was chosen here. Besemer: "Via BIM, the selected subcontractors had insight into the construction process and determined themselves when the time had come for their share. So they were not facing each other, but side by side." This created a construction pace so high that it caught the attention of colleagues. "We are still ahead of the troops now, but this ADST methodology will be the future. I am convinced of that."

A thorough preparation

The working method also provided the project manager with space for other issues. "For example, we had delivery problems due to corona," Besemer says. "Fortunately, our work planners are good planners. They started looking for A-brands, possible optimizations and flexibility in the design very early on. After all, that is also a requirement of BREEAM 'Outstanding.' It should be relatively easy to make the building suitable for another use."

Van Acht realizes that he has asked quite a lot of Aan de Stegge Twello. "We have an in-house Construction discipline and - like Aan de Stegge Twello - have partnerships that have been running for 25 to 30 years. In those cases, the choice was made on the basis of a selection procedure. Nevertheless, the cooperation was extremely pleasant. And even more remarkable is the execution time."