Beyond sustainability

Kraaijvanger Architects has taken the Cradle to Cradle philosophy (C2C) as a starting point in the design for a comfortable and healthy working environment and combined this with sustainable innovation. Venlo City Office is tangible proof of this circular vision of the future.

Commissioned by the municipality of Venlo, Kraaijvanger has designed a new city office with 630 non-location-bound workplaces and public functions that embodies the ambition to allow employees, the city and the region to function fully based on Cradle to Cradle (C2C) principles.

Concept: Focus on people

Health is the starting point: a good building makes people happier and improves productivity. The spatial design was conceived from the inside out, visually connects the interior and the exterior, and is based on three principles:

• bring in as much daylight and greenery as possible,

• create routes through the building that allow people to move and meet, work and relax and

• only use healthy materials.

Rethink

The municipality consciously opted for an architect selection based on a vision: to realize a healthy building that is a raw materials bank for the future and that produces a demonstrable positive footprint for Venlo. Literally and figuratively a building that makes Venlo better: the municipal translation of the C2C principle. For an integrated and innovative process, designers, consultants, users and clients must constantly look beyond each other's boundaries. Above all, there should not be too many meetings, but rather literally work together. For this we start the design process with a pressure cooker week in which we design the concept together with users and client in a very intense week.

The circular business case is unique to the Venlo City Office. The project shows that a circular economy pays off. A number of details at a glance: Project budget approximately € 50 million; Total package of sustainability measures approximately € 3.4 million; Financial yield from sustainability measures: € 16.9 million; Positive cash flow from year 1. In addition, a residual value of the building on materials has been taken into account. A residual value of 5% means an annual saving of 175,000 euros. Moreover, it is estimated that the residual value will be higher. Agreements have been made with suppliers about repossession and residual value. For example, the tender for the furniture has resulted in a guaranteed residual value of 18% of the original purchase price, including bank guarantee. In addition, the provider bears the costs of maintenance for its own account. The Municipality of Venlo is therefore guaranteed that after its useful life of 10 years, the furniture will retain a residual value of approximately € 300,000. Research shows that only 10% of the costs are related to energy and construction costs, while 90% can be related to the users. By creating a healthy work environment, it is expected that this will make a positive contribution to absenteeism and productivity. This results in significant savings for the organization.

Reuse

Ultimately, everything is aimed at reusing the precious raw materials that enter the building for a new life without compromising on quality. Raw materials for the municipal office have been obtained from the immediate vicinity as much as possible. As many cycles as possible are closed within the region. The building demonstrably purifies air through the green long façade, reuses rainwater and waste water, is energy neutral and promotes health. In addition, the building has no waste, it is in fact a temporary raw materials bank with guaranteed residual values ​​for a number of products. The building creates (bio) diversity through the green facade, which, like a vertical city park, is a natural biotope for more than 100 plants, animals and insect species. As a result of this project, numerous producers and suppliers have had their products C2C certified, which demonstrably encourages the project to switch to an economically profitable principle of C2C production of goods.