Sustainability Report
Embedded Carbon
During the growth period, one hectare of hemp wood absorbs 15 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere. In total, 195 tonnes of CO2 are stored in the facade.
Operational Emissions / Energy
With an EPC of -0.178, the building supplies more energy than it requires. Various measures have been taken for this. For example, the building has energy-efficient, gas-free installations, a roof full of solar panels, a transparent facade on the northeast side and a more closed facade on the sunny side. Heat and cold are generated by means of an ice buffer. This is used to store excess heat in a large, underground tank with water in the summer. From the start of the cold season, this water is cooled down to freezing point in a controlled manner. When ice forms, a large amount of energy is released, which is used to heat the town hall. From the end of the heating season, the cold is extracted from the buffer to cool the building.
Afterlife
Because the old town hall had a good constructive concrete structure, this shell was reused. Furthermore, the entire existing building was demolished in a circular manner. For this, a building materials inventory was first made, on the basis of which materials were reused. For example, window frames were reused as non-load-bearing facade elements and old wooden slatted ceilings were used as wall cladding. Bricks and concrete were ground into concrete rubble granulate for the paving. System ceiling tiles were also reused and the council chamber and office environment were fitted with acoustic biobased panels made from 100% recycled materials. The tops of the public counter are made from melted yoghurt packaging. Conference chairs have been refurbished and the custom furniture includes furniture fabrics made from recycled wool. Ceilings are finished with acoustic spraying made from biobased and recyclable cellulose and the carpet consists of 90% recycled and biobased material.
