Cradle-to-cradle construction

Venlo is one of the most sustainable municipalities in the Netherlands. The region has the highest number of companies with cradle-to-cradle (C2C) certified products in the world and Venlo city hall, also constructed according to cradle-to-cradle principles, has the largest green façade in Europe.

Blok van Gendt car park

So, logically, when Venlo municipality issued a Design, Finance, Build, Maintain and Operate (DFBMO) tender for a new parking facility, it also stipulated that this should be built according to the same C2C principles.

Advantages of circular construction include:

• little or no raw material wastage;

• contribution to the circular economy;

• high-quality building, worth more in the long run;

• government subsidy opportunities.

The consortium, consisting of Holland Immo Group (finance), Kern Architects (design), Aan de Stegge Twello B.V. (construction) and Q-Park (operation), submitted a C2C construction plan for a new parking facility on the site.

Reusable materials

The building materials chosen can largely be reused. Furthermore, by developing the car park in an energy-efficient way, a circular structure has been realised in line with the C2C principles of Venlo municipality.

Another important aspect of the plan was integrating the car park into its surroundings. This has been achieved by finishing the façade with brickwork and steel elements – materials which can easily be recycled.