Sustainability Report

The project reduces embodied carbon through several material and construction decisions:

• Predominantly timber construction above the concrete basement.
• Extensive use of prefabricated timber-frame elements, reducing construction waste and improving material efficiency.
• Use of renewable biobased materials including timber structure and interior finishes.
• Accoya® modified timber provides a long service life, reducing replacement frequency.
• Charred Shou Sugi Ban finish protects the timber without conventional paint systems.
• Mechanically fixed façade boards enable selective repair rather than complete replacement.
• Components can be disassembled and potentially reused.
• Interior timber is largely left untreated, avoiding additional finishing materials.
• The project achieved an MPG score of €0.62/m²/year, demonstrating reduced life-cycle environmental impact under Dutch assessment methodology.

The project combines passive design with efficient building systems to minimise operational energy demand.

Passive measures

• Highly insulated building envelope
• Timber-frame construction
• Triple glazing
• Excellent airtightness (qv;10 = 0.2 dm³/s·m²)
• External shutters
• External solar shading
• Natural night ventilation
• Rooflights for passive cooling

Active systems

• Air-to-water heat pump
• Low-temperature underfloor heating
• Underfloor cooling
• Demand-controlled ventilation using CO₂ sensors
• 20 photovoltaic panels (400 Wp each)
• Approximately 8.0 kWp installed solar capacity

BENG performance

Primary fossil energy use: 15.12 kWh/m²/year

Requirement: 30.00 kWh/m²/year

Renewable energy share: 87.9%

Energy demand: 88.10 kWh/m²/year

Several design choices reduce emissions associated with maintenance over the building's life:

• Long-life Accoya® timber cladding
• Charred Shou Sugi Ban finish requiring minimal maintenance
• Durable timber construction reducing replacement cycles
• Mechanically fixed façade boards enabling selective repair
• Individual boards can be removed and replaced
• No reliance on regular repainting
• Prefabricated construction improves component quality and longevity
• Durable envelope reduces future refurbishment needs