Today, the first pile has been laid for the new accommodation for the Harbor Master Division, including the technical staff, planners and part of the operational employees of Port of Amsterdam. This fully circular building will replace the current building on Capriweg. The new business premises will be built in a sustainable and circular manner. A closed soil energy system, for example, is used to heat and cool the building in an efficient and sustainable way. In the winter the system extracts heat from the soil and in the summer the system releases heat from the soil.

This leads to significant energy savings and a significant reduction in CO2 emissions. All the energy that the building uses is generated by solar panels on the roof and on the facade. The building thus provides 100% of its own energy. Saving drinking water In addition to the sustainable energy system, a gray water circuit is integrated into the building. Rainwater is collected in a special underground tank, after which it can be reused for flushing, among other things, the toilets and spraying the plants. The building materials used are removable and retain their value when they are reused (circular).

A wooden supporting structure was chosen, which simultaneously offers a warm and natural atmosphere in the interior. This is placed on a concrete foundation and locally reinforced by a steel construction. With this, the specific advantages of each material are exploited separately. BREEAMThe new building receives a so-called BREEAM NL Certificate. This certificate is an internationally recognized quality mark that assesses buildings on many sustainability categories and only rewards super-statutory performance. That means that a building is constructed according to the most recent sustainability requirements, techniques and is also fully focused on users.

Patrick Babel, Operations Manager at the Harbor Master's Division and involved from the user group in the design: "This building is entirely in accordance with the principles created by the port authority, in collaboration and sustainably. We are going to have a very nice workplace here. 'Due to the 24-hour economy of the port, the new business premises are always occupied. For example, the position of windows, the layout of the floors and the technology are completely focused on comfort. You can think of sound, (day) light, a healthy indoor climate and a smart layout that creates logical walking routes. On the second floor there will be a 40 m2 indoor roof terrace. Furthermore, the lighting itself can be adjusted, also during night shifts. Thanks to these applications, the building gets a homely setting, which makes it feel cozy even in the dark hours. Together with the employees of Port of Amsterdam and Knevel Architecten, a beautiful design has been created. Contractor Dozy BV has won the tender and will realize the construction. The building is expected to be ready in the spring of 2020.

Photo: Max Dijksterhuis

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