A 30-hectare service and distribution park was built in the Maritime Logistics Zone in the Zeebrugge inner port. Completion took place on October 12, 2022. This project was started by the Chinese group Lingang, but has in the meantime been taken over by Intervest Offices & Warehouses. In addition to the 10 halls of over 7,500m² each, with 10 loading docks, the project also includes a container yard, a central office building and ample parking for trailers and cars. In addition to the size of the project, the BREEAM Excellent score that the client and construction partners wanted to achieve stands out.

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The site was developed as a European hub to serve various exporters and importers in both directions. The warehouses will serve for intermediate and transshipment as well as additional services such as inspection of goods. Each hall is 12 meters high and can store up to 8,600 pallets. 300 m of office space is also provided in each case. A main building was erected at the front of the site.

During the project, the Belgian investment group Intervest Offices & Warehouses took over this project from Lingang and it was decided to air-condition the warehouses as well. This was also realized gas-free by means of 10 heat pumps of 320kW - 1 per warehouse - on the roof.

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PROJECT TEAM DEVI
Behind the realization of the project was the partnership DEVI in which several local specialists work together: Architectenbureau Dugardyn, Establis (stability), Studiebureau Verhaeghe & partners and Industrium, Ingenium's sister company specializing in the engineering and energy efficiency of buildings for industry, logistics and retail. The partnership offers the advantage that the client had only one coordinated point of contact for all aspects of the project.

HIGH SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES
Because Lingang wanted to persuade top companies to locate in Zeebrugge, the sustainability bar was set particularly high for a logistics project. The project was not allowed to have a negative impact on the fauna and flora of the region. A score of at least 70 percent on the various BREAAM parameters was therefore aimed for, resulting in the label 'Excellent'. Additional planting on the site and green roofs on the offices are also part of this story.

No natural gas will be consumed on the site. PV panels occupy the entire area of the roofs of the warehouses. The transformers are amply dimensioned for this with a total power of 8 megawatts. A water buffer of 720 m3 was provided for fire safety. In case of emergency, 2 pumps, each with a flow rate of 10,000 liters per minute (!) come into operation. An underground loop was also installed around the building for water supplies and to replenish the sprinkler supply. Finally, the site was equipped with a fiber optic network for a smooth data flow of counters and cameras, among other things.

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