Fugro’s TechCentre in Nootdorp, the Netherlands has been awarded the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certificate ever granted in the Netherlands to a building that combines an office, warehouse, laboratory and workshop on one site.
The state-of-the-art green building has solar panels, thermal walls, a grey water collection system and paperless offices. “Reducing the emission of chemicals in the laboratory was extremely complex so we are particularly proud of this achievement and to have been granted this certification by the U.S. Green Building Council,” explains Dennis Koenen, Project Management and Operations Department Manager at Fugro.
Only 5% of certified projects achieve a Platinum award, so as one of these projects, Fugro’s TechCentre ranks amongst the most sustainable in the world. This is also reflected by monitored data: the building achieves savings of 85% in natural gas, 42% in electricity and 80% in water consumption. The TechCentre consists of 35% recycled material.
The LEED rating system, developed by the non-profit USGBC, is the main evaluation and certification system for buildings and is used worldwide. At present, only 19 buildings have a LEED certificate in the Netherlands: 5 of them Platinum and 11 Gold whilst one has the Silver award and two are certified.
