NEXUS

NEXUS is a sustainable life sciences building featuring offices and laboratories for scale-ups, currently under construction by Dura Vermeer Bouw Zuid West at the Bio Science Park in Leiden. This innovation hub comprises four floors with a total floor area of over 9,100 m², a parking garage, and three private outdoor terraces. NEXUS is aiming for BREEAM Excellent certification, an international standard for classifying buildings based on sustainability and energy efficiency. Both during the design and construction phases, ecological, social, and economic sustainability performance is taken into account to create a working environment for companies that, like Dura Vermeer, want to reduce their environmental impact. Construction began on July 24.

ZERO-EMISSION CONSTRUCTION SITE

The drilling work is being carried out in collaboration with FUNDEX and Greener using a fully zero-emission drilling rig. The electrically powered drilling rig features a vibration-free drill, which takes the immediate neighbors into account. The Nexus new-build project is located approximately 3 km from a Natura 2000 area. This means that during both the operational and construction phases of the project, nitrogen oxide and ammonia emissions must not exceed a specified limit. Thanks to sustainable measures such as a zero-emission drilling rig, Dura Vermeer can minimize these emissions.

ON THE PATH TO NET ZERO

“At Dura Vermeer, we take nature into account wherever we build to minimize our environmental footprint. Together, we are working toward zero emissions by 2050. That is the ‘zero’ in ‘Toward Net Zero’ that we have in mind. Today, we proudly completed the first electric drilling of a vibration-free, in-situ formed FUNDEX pile. Even after the drilling work is complete, we will continue to monitor the environmental impact of our construction site. With the materials passport, we aim to use as many certified, sustainable raw materials as possible, and thanks to the prefabricated construction method, we are committed to a clean construction site. We dispose of the limited waste through a waste sorting system involving seven waste streams,” said Remko Bentvelsen, director at Dura Vermeer.

Davy Maes, Managing Director of FUNDEX: “We have been working for quite some time on making all our light and heavy foundation machinery more sustainable, and in recent years we have seen that we are actually receiving contracts for this. Collaboration with the customer, as well as with suppliers of batteries and software, and specific expertise in electrification and wiring, is essential. Less noise means less disturbance in urban areas and results in a completely different experience of construction work for the local community. We are on the right track in the foundation industry and will certainly be ready to comply with the ESG guidelines for 2030, 2040, and 2050! Here’s to a cleaner construction site!”

Source: Dura Vermeer website. www.duravermeer.nl

FUNDEX: “We’re really good at foundations!”
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