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EQUITONE Facade Panels: Pioneering Sustainability in Nij Smellinghe Renovation
In the long-term total renovation of General Hospital Nij Smellinghe in Drachten (the Netherlands), the initial phase will involve thoroughly tackling the facade. Sustainability and circularity will play an important role in the process. Thus, 80% of the existing Etex facade panels will be reused and supplemented with new EQUITONE [pictura] panels.
An energy-positive hospital by 2030
"The facade renovation project grew out of our ambition to be energy positive by 2030," says Bertil Snijder, Real Estate & Technical Management Manager at Nij Smellinghe. "That ambition ties in nicely with our strategy to jointly work on sustainable care. We discussed various ideas. For example, we considered the option of replacing the entire facade with glass panels or with new EQUITONE [pictura] panels. Ultimately, we chose to reuse the existing Etex facade panels wherever possible, so that we create a minimum of waste." A perfect match with the ambition of contractor Van Wijnen. "Sustainability and circularity are also becoming increasingly important in the construction sector," says Joan Veenstra of the Van Wijnen Group. "By 2025 we want to work completely waste-free. So it's very nice to be given the opportunity to participate in a project that fits with our ambition for circularity."
20-year-old Etex fibre cement panels in excellent condition
"At EQUITONE we think in terms of possibilities instead of impossibilities", says Jan-Willem Nieuwenhuis, Account Manager Netherlands East for EQUITONE. "And this project is a good example of that. When we first sat down with the contractor, the architect and the hospital, the plan was to replace the entire facade of the hospital with new EQUITONE [pictura] panels. However, when we found out that the original Etex fibre cement panels are still in excellent condition and aesthetically match the new EQUITONE [pictura] panels, we decided to restore as much of the original facade as possible, to reuse it and to supplement it with new material."
Trimming existing panels and screwing them back in place
"When the existing panels were harvested, it became clear that they had been installed in frames, projecting off of the facade," explains architect Foppe Doetjes of Van Manen en Zwart Architects. "As a result, the edges of the panels had become dirty over time. In order to achieve the best possible result, we decided to saw off the edges of the facade panels, so that the dirt would be removed. The panels were thus made somewhat smaller, but that did not cause any significant problems. They were then screwed back in."
Interesting and successful test case for EQUITONE
"The renovation project of the Nij Smellinghe hospital is an interesting test case for EQUITONE with regard to circularity", says Maarten Milis, Divisional Sustainability Product Manager at EQUITONE. "That has to do with the scale of the project, among other aspects. For example, more than 10,000 m² of facade material is available. Tests have shown that about 80 to 85% of that material can be reused. Plus, everything is processed locally, so there's no need to transport it long-distance. Finally, this case underscores the durability of our material. After all, the panels that are now being given a new life are up to 24 years old." "This project has been an exciting learning experience and at the same time a source of inspiration," concludes Jan-Willem Nieuwenhuis. "It not only demonstrates the quality of our materials, but also the fact that, as a producer, we can be part of an ecological story and are more than willing to constructively contribute to sustainable solutions. In this way we can contribute to the environment together."
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