The ambition is there, the will is there, but is it also achievable: four stars for the sustainability performance of Kennispark? Stegehuis Infra recently completed the inventory. We asked project manager Rob Lammerink and BREAAM expert Jeroen Neumann of the engineering and consultancy firm whether our innovation campus deserves four stars.
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In our structural vision from 2018, we laid down that we are committed to making the entire Kennispark area more sustainable in order to make the area more attractive. We want to certify the Business & Science park of Kennispark, no less than 50 hectares with buildings, roads and greenery, according to the BREEAM approach. With an attractive contribution of € 500,000 from the RegioDeal funds for Twente, we can give further shape to our ambitions for a sustainable innovation campus.
What is BREEAM-NL Area?
BREEAM-NL Gebied is a method for assessing the sustainability performance of an entire area and stimulating improvements. You may know this approach as an assessment and certification system for buildings, but it is also there for areas. “It is actually a yardstick for sustainable area development”, explains Jeroen. “It sets clear goals, provides measurable criteria and requires a concrete burden of proof. Certification contributes to the distinctive character of an area. And because it is internationally recognised, it can be used to attract investors and users.
For the BREEAM certification, Kennispark is assessed in six sustainability categories:
- management
- synergy
- sources
- territorial development
- welfare & prosperity
- area climate
First test the feasibility
Over the past few months Jeroen and Rob assessed the feasibility of the BREEAM certification for Kennispark. “During the feasibility study, we took off our pink glasses for a moment and really looked at what is already in the area and what has actually been secured. We will assess forty-seven aspects within the six sustainability categories. It then turns out that the area in its current form is still a long way from the four stars,” summarises Rob. “But the potential is in the area,” adds Jeroen. “Certainly if we see the involvement and collaboration between the municipality, the area organisation, the University of Twente and the entrepreneurs and pan owners in order to realise the ambition in the structural concept.
Promising credits
“The next step is to analyse the information requested and assess which aspects of the certification we can already prove, the so-called promising credits. And on which aspects we need to put extra effort or speed up in order to get to four stars. At the end of this year, we will present the conclusions and give an advice”, says Rob about the process. He emphasises that you don’t need to have completed all the components for certification yet. “We are laying down that, for example, LED lighting or separate footpaths and cycle paths will be constructed. These will then have to be realised within the foreseeable future”.
Unique for the Netherlands
If we manage to achieve four stars, we will be the first innovation campus in the Netherlands with that status. “It’s a process that you as users of an area enter into together,” says Jeroen. “It has to live and you have to tackle it together”. For example, panel owners can contribute by having their building certified. Or see how they can use renewable energy. And the municipality can score points by using a different type of material for roads. There are plenty of possibilities. Rob: “We have to weigh up what we can deploy. In the report we will give concrete advice on this. Only then will we be able to say anything about the actual feasibility. To be continued, then.
Free BREEAM scans for making real estate more sustainable
As a property owner, do you want to help make our area more sustainable? You can do that by taking a close look at your own building. From the RegioDeal funds, every property owner at Kennispark can request a voucher of € 1,000 to have a building scan carried out. This scan provides an insight into the current energy label of the building and the measures to be taken to make your property more sustainable. You can request the voucher from Alfred Stobbelaar, project manager Knowledge Park, and it can be redeemed by a recognised BREEAM expert. Linneman Bouw en Advies has already carried out various scans on Kennispark.
