How green walls make a difference in ‘t Centrum

Kamp C, the living lab of the Province of Antwerp for sustainability and innovation in the construction industry, and a previously selected consortium of seven companies have recently completed ‘t Centrum in Westerlo (Belgium). This is the first completely circular office building in Flanders. The three-storey building has a total surface area of 2,400 m2. The building’s high level of circularity is remarkable. It has been entirely constructed from reusable materials and can thus be completely disassembled and rebuilt elsewhere. The builders used innovative materials, applications, techniques and new business models throughout.

‘t Centrum uses innovative building management system Calculus developed a flexible, circular and remountable management platform for the circular office building to monitor and reduce water and energy consumption.

Antwerp-based sheltered workshop Kunnig has prepared the façade cladding of former events venue Hangar 26 for reuse as façade cladding at ‘t Centrum. Kunnig gave the wood a total makeover. The wooden beams have now been given a new lease on life as façade cladding for ‘t Centrum, the circular office building at Kamp C.

Streng-th, a structural engineering consultancy, was in charge of the analyses and assessments for circular office building ’t Centrum. This process proved quite challenging and in many respects it also different from a conventional project. Engineers Brecht Beirinckx and Stefan Belmans explain why.

The walls of ‘t Centrum are clad with vapour-permeable, magnesium oxide insulated panels. Magnesium oxide has several circular properties and is fire-resistant. Bart D’Haese, an expert in Healthy Houses at EXIE NV, and contractor Joeri Beneens explain the reasons behind this choice. 

Cellular glass insulation was chosen for the roof terrace of 't Centrum, a circular office building in Westerlo (Belgium). The office building has been built in such a way that it can be dismantled and rebuilt elsewhere using the existing materials. The choice of cellular glass insulation, a material that is produced by FOAMGLAS ®, was made based on compressive strength to bear the load of the decking. Below we list four reasons why cellular glass is a good choice for a circular roof.

Part of the glazing of ‘t Centrum consists of vacuum insulating glazing. Equal to triple glazing when it comes to performance, it has the slim profile of single glazing, however. We spoke with Stefan Lips, Sales Director at FINEO Europe.

Cementless screed was used in 't Centrum. This is a new circular screed. The screed consists of reclaimed sand from construction and demolition waste, street sand and sand from sewers. Wouter Cementless screed was used throughout ‘t Centrum. This is a new circular screed, made from reclaimed Vermin, Manager Treatment & Valorisation at Bioterra, explains what this means.

The contractor used digital building models for ‘t Centrum, or BIM. This Building Information Modelling system is not a just a 3D model, it has several benefits. More accurate drawings, keeping an overview, and more efficiency during implementation are just a few of the benefits. Contractor Joeri Beneens explains what this means.