Platform on architecture, interior design and landscape architecture
Sustainability plays a leading role in the Aloysius Foundation's new school complex. The focus on the energy performance of the building and attention to the use of circular materials were the common thread throughout the project. The application of fully circular plastic window frames and the use of donor steel are the result of this.
Developer and main contractor Dura Vermeer Bouw Zuid BV was commissioned by the client, the Municipality of Eindhoven, to achieve the maximum sustainability return within the total budget of 13 million euros. "We really motivated the contractor and partners to look differently at circularity, sustainability and cooperation," indicates John Antonise, project manager for the Municipality of Eindhoven.
The basis for the sustainability return had to be laid in the call for tender, tendering and design phase. That meant sitting down with all parties from the beginning to fine-tune the plans.
After the builder had met extensively with all construction partners, a team was assembled that is still active today. The continuous knowledge sharing within the team has contributed enormously to the realization of the new school complex, according to Harm Wingens, business manager Dura Vermeer Bouw Zuid. "There were no ready-made solutions in the drawer for the sustainable ambitions. It was continuous pioneering and then you need each other to achieve success." "The result achieved has become a team effort," said John Antonise.
The new school building has a special facade of stucco stone strips and insulation on the outside. Because plastic window frames fit best in the design aesthetically and are also the most durable when it comes to maintenance, Dura Vermeer went looking for one. Geert Verlind, who was involved in the construction on behalf of the municipality of Eindhoven as a sustainability expert, guided Dura Vermeer in this process.
They consulted Albert Zegelaar, director of the Vereniging Kunststof Gevelelementenindustrie (VKG), for this purpose. Verlind: "I knew that the industry is very active and innovative in the field of reuse and circularity. This was confirmed by Albert; The VKG Quality Mark organizes a closed cycle through the VKG Recycling System where old plastic window frames are collected and returned to the chain. However, it was honestly reported from the VKG that this would be one of the first projects with 100 percent circular window frames. That could possibly entail some risk, so with that information I went back to Dura Vermeer. Thereupon it was decided to approach three manufacturers and engage with them about possibilities and opportunities."
Martien Akerboom of Ploeg kozijnen - one of the three manufacturers - showed the construction team the fully circular plastic window frame that Ploeg kozijnen - together with profile supplier Deceuninck - was working on at the time. A presentation that eventually led to cooperation. Ploeg kozijnen supplies 155 Deceuninck Verdo Neo Premium window frames for the facades, and 30 fully circular Phoenix window frames for one of the two patios. There, Ploeg kozijnen and Deceuninck can monitor how the circular plastic window frames behave in all weathers in the coming years.
About its qualitative properties, Akerboom is not at all concerned. "Reuse does not degenerate the quality of plastic. And the material can be reused up to ten times, which makes it enormously durable."
Producing plastic from old plastic also requires 90 percent less energy than producing new plastic. Deceuninck also uses a crushing method to recycle the plastic, no heating is involved in this either.
Before fully circular plastic window frames can be used on a large scale, the plastic cycle needs to get going so that there is a continuous flow of sufficient raw materials. "We really have to do it together as an industry, but then we can take that important sustainable step," Akerboom said.
Builder Dura Vermeer is also aware of this. "The Avignonlaan is proof that sustainable and circular construction is possible within budget. As long as you do it together and in good consultation and look for partners who all have the same high ambitions," says Wingens.
