In combination with Waalwijk, Tilburg forms the Netherlands’ third national logistics hotspot after Venlo and the West-Brabant region. “Tilburg is emerging,” says Jos Klanderman, director of DOKVAST. “Vacant DC’s a not only a rarity here, but up scaling to approximately 50,000 m² halls is also occurring to meet the growing demand. Moreover, we are well able to achieve DCs of up to 100,000 m² in the long term. DOKVAST is collaborating again with Heembouw and Habeon Architects from Roelofarendsveen on the construction of the second quality distribution centre at Vossenberg II in Tilburg. Interior designer Maria Tellez from The Hague will be involved in the interior design.
Future proof
Within the context of future-proofing, DOKVAST develops multifunctional DCs, each of which has four addresses. Klanderman: “This enables more companies to be based separately, whether temporarily or not, in a single DC. For a single end user, such as DB Schenker Logistics, the size of the DC rapidly anticipates potential growth or shrinkage of the company in question. More importantly, our DCs are also 90 to 95 percent suitable for all possible purposes. The integral multi-storey floors (narrow hallways, wide corridors and bulk storage) can be flexibly filled and are suitable for Value Added Services (VAS) as well as for office functions. We have already taken this into account when fitting the windows and the various compartment installations provide for this separately.” The DC at Vossenberg II consists of a hall of approximately 43,600 m², a mezzanine of 4,700 m² and an office of 1,400 m².
Competitive
The new distribution centre, the quality of which is superior not only by Dutch but also by European standards, has incurred higher completion costs, not least due to the various innovations – in spite of efficient building procedures. Klanderman: “The operating costs are actually low. Although the rent is slightly above average, consumption is economical on balance. The extremely low energy bill makes the complex a highly competitive housing option; even more so when compared to an existing DC that is not equipped with anystate-of-the-artinnovations.We developfor the future andour buildings are geared for afully self-sufficientenergy supply.”.
Energy saving
The self-sufficient energy supply is partially facilitated by energy saving and related facilities. “For example, we guarantee roofing for twenty years instead of ten years,” explains Klanderman: “This double period runs parallel with the lifecycle of solar panels. The reinforced steel structure is also calculated to bear the weight of the solar panels. The internal infrastructure for the electrical wiring is also customized for the installation of solar panels. As a basis for a sustainable building, work is carried out according to the Trias Energetica principle. The first major step of this principle is the prevention of energy consumption. The second step is the application of renewable energy. The final step is the use of fossil fuels, but as efficiently as possible. A well-insulated building shell is obviously a prerequisite, as well as sufficient daylight. The vertically arranged outdoor lighting strips are aligned lengthwise with the aisles of the halls. This is not just a question of making efficient use of lighting, but also creating a healthy and pleasant working environment for the logistics company employees. An attractive decor, coloured walls and appealing emblems, designed for our company by Maria Tellez, all contribute to a sense of comfort while working and greater productivity. “Furthermore, all DOKVAST DC’s are fitted for the necessary additional lighting, which usually represents the largest cost, with a hundred percent LED armatures.
Innovative collaboration with Philips
In addition to saving energy and reducing absenteeism DOKVAST also achieves ease for users by interconnecting all installations. Klanderman: “There are motion sensors and daylight sensors and when leaving the building there is a single swipe feature for dimming all the lights and turning down heating and ventilation.” DOKVAST usually has a heat pump installed in the offices that form part of the DC.
“For the Rhenus Logistics DC we intermittently installed an emergency lighting armature that we developed in collaboration with Philips,” Klanderman continues. “Until recently, this lighting was not available in LED. Philips has now incorporated this innovation into its standard range. We are currently in discussion with Philips about the programming of the armatures. Within the context of energy saving, we would like to use new software to control certain groups of lights and also to be able to manipulate them remotely, depending on demand. Philips is helping us by developing a special app for easy and variable use. We have now hired an app builder to create a platform to provide users with an integral display of all the data on the building, using comprehensive information. This includes a benchmark to test gas, water and electricity consumption against standard usage. We also want to provide end users with a reporting tool that is specially developed to provide a comprehensive report on any problems in the building simultaneously to all interested parties.”.
Klanderman views it as a challenge to create new innovations for each successive project and also examines the possibilities and requirements for the implementation of these innovations in existing buildings. Besides the planned second DC at Vossenberg II there are also draft plans on the table for sizeable third and fourth DC’s in Tilburg and Venlo, respectively, for which DOKVAST has already started local negotiations.