SEW-EURODRIVE is a German multinational company operating in 52 countries worldwide with more than 19,000 employees. The company produces electric motors, (motors for) gearboxes, gearboxes and other components for vehicles, machines and production lines. Haasrode is 1 of 4 Belgian locations. At Brabanthal - one and a half kilometers from the new building site - the company already has a site.
A 5,200m2 workshop and 3 floors of offices - with a total floor area of 2,750m2 - are being built on a vacant lot at the end of Roman Street. About 100 people will eventually work there. SEW-EURODRIVE is thus significantly expanding its capacity in Haasrode.
The project is a design by D E Architecten of Tervuren. They provide both the architectural design and the complete interior architecture. The stability of the project is ensured by Studiebureau Archimedes from Keerbergen.
The first step in sustainable building and operation is, of course, to keep energy requirements as low as possible. However, the comfort of those who work there must not be lost sight of. To create a pleasant indoor climate in the workshop without the need for active cooling, we started from a dynamic simulation. Data from previous years on sunshine and temperatures - measured over an entire year - are crossed with the insulation value (U) and heat transfer value (g) of all components of the building envelope.
The simulation showed, among other things, that the single-walled polycarbonate sheets in the upper strip of the façade of the studio were better replaced by double-walled and insulated sheets. Better insulating elements were also chosen for the skylights in the roof, the roof elements themselves and the other cladding. On very hot summer nights, the air groups of the workshop provide free cooling, and the natural rwa installation can also be opened to let the heat escape from the ceiling of the rooms to the outside.
The interior layout also affects rational energy consumption and working comfort. In the original plan, the loading and unloading areas opened directly into the workshop. We recommended shielding them with an additional wall, which makes a big difference in the workshop, especially in winter when the gates are open.
A two-pipe air/water heat pump on the roof was chosen for heating the workshop. In the offices, climate ceilings provide both heating and cooling, controlled by a four-pipe air-to-water heat pump. It also provides the base temperature for the production of domestic hot water for the showers. In order to make the water sufficiently hot, a booster water/water heat pump is provided for the showers.
These heat pumps are large consumers of electricity. To compensate for this, however, SEW-EURODRIVE is making a bold sustainable choice. The company is providing a PV installation of no less than 930 kWp on the roof, which is exceptional in an industrial project of that size! In this way, they reduce their CO2 emissions by 233 tons/year, making the building CO2 neutral, saving emissions of 176%.
With a PV system of such size, after the consumption of heat pumps, machines in the workshops and other electrical facilities such as lighting and power outlets, there will still be some power left over to power charging stations in the parking lot. In this regard, the law stipulates that 1 in 4 parking lots must have a charging station in the future. Here too, however, SEW-EURODRIVE is going a step further. Initially, 34 of the 88 spaces will be equipped with a charging station. But everything is being planned now to be able to extend this to all 88 parking spaces in the future.
In addition to effectiveCO2 neutrality, SEW-EURODRIVE also put the employee at the center of this project. Thus, meetings were held for each room with its future users to discuss needs and concerns. Feedback was requested at various points during the design phase and finally before the call for tenders. The comments made were then effectively taken into account to refine and adjust the plans.
Want to know more about this project and/or the possibilities to make your project sustainable? Contact our expert Bart Delgouffe at bart.delgouffe@industrium.be or by phone at 050 40 45 30.
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