't Centrum

What is it about?

In spring 2021, Kamp C started construction of 't Centrum on its site in Westerlo. The innovative building is a catalyst for circular construction in Flanders and beyond. There will be room around this hotspot for building innovation for other circular building projects in the coming years. The building was officially opened in May 2022.

What is the goal?

Circular building is still in its infancy in Flanders, granted it is no longer baby shoes, but adult shoes are not yet an issue. By giving a broad view on circular building and constructing the first circular building itself, Kamp C wants to get this innovative and sustainable way of building off the ground in Flanders. The pilot project around 't Centrum will provide insights into the obstacles and solutions and thus accelerate the much-needed circular transition in the building sector.

An integrated project

't Centrum takes into account all aspects of circular construction. Kamp C has brought these together in seven pillars:

The benefits

't Centrum has many advantages in store, not only for the surrounding area, but also for future users. The commercial building is sustainable and energy-neutral, with plenty of light and surrounded by greenery. It contains a modular office layout and transformable workplaces. Adjustments can be made easily, without the need to add much energy and new materials. The building can be completely dismantled. Both the design, materials and connections are designed with this in mind.

't Centrum is also testing out new business models. For instance, light can be leased from suppliers. This encourages them to make sustainable products. The result: much lower energy consumption, longer lifespan, easy maintenance and the possibility of recycling.

All materials used can be found in a Building Information Model (BIM) and a materials passport. BIM is a digital model that bundles all data of a building and which all building partners work with. It is partly funded from circular business models.

Who is involved?

For 't Centrum, forces are joined in a large group of partners. For the preliminary phase and the tender, the Public Waste Agency of Flanders (OVAM) was co-financier and Thomas More University College was also involved partner. In addition, several experts in circular construction will help shape the building, mainly in the form of the winning consortium.

Stakeholder consultation and master classes in preparation

In preparation for the tender, Kamp C organised a stakeholder meeting on 12 June 2018. Here, the process and our ambitions for the circular building were presented and reviewed.

Five master classes took place in June, September and October 2018. With numerous inspiring speakers and cases, as well as workshops and assignments, we delved deeper into all aspects of circular building.

How did the circular procurement go?

Kamp C worked with the consulting firm Alba Concepts for the tender.

Alba Concepts supported Kamp C in organising the master classes, working out the financial and legal aspects of the tender, preparing the necessary tender documents and so on.

In November 2018, we released our selection guide to the market with the aim of selecting three construction consortia for the next step in the tender. In February, we closed the applications. The result was very nice: as many as seven consortia with a total of about 50 companies applied.

We then used a six-member jury, led by an independent chairman, to award the teams as objective a score as possible. This proved no easy task. After all, all consortia had sufficient capabilities, expertise and knowledge of various aspects of circular construction.

Read more about the chosen consortia here.

Dialogue round and award

The selection was followed by a dialogue round with the three chosen consortia. During this, Kamp C engaged in two individual discussions with them. The aim of the dialogue was to clear up ambiguities in the tender documents and optimise the solutions suited to the needs.

Before the talks started, Kamp C had shared a first version of the tender documents with the consortia. This described in concrete terms what we as the client expected. This also formed the starting point for the consortia to prepare.

During the dialogue meeting, the brief and the plans of the bidders were discussed in outline. Principles of the dialogue discussions were:

• Two-way discussion, questioning each other;
• Focus on success factors of the assignment and the possible risks that could stand in the way of success.

This dialogue allowed Kamp C to improve the tender documents. The feedback from the consortia during the discussions was essential here. Moreover, the bidders themselves were able to improve their concept.

After da dialogue round, the bidders were given time to finalise their offers and submit them in November 2019. In doing so, they were also given the opportunity to explain their design via a presentation. These offers were assessed by a seven-member jury led by an independent chairman. After an initial individual assessment and then consensus deliberation, the "Camp Circular" consortium was chosen. This consortium is composed of seven companies with contractors Beneens, TEN, Streng-th, Muurtuin, West Architecture, Tenerga and VITO are part of the team. Read more about this award here.

't Centre is ready!

After the tender, Kamp C started working with the winning consortium to elaborate the design, determine the materials and techniques to be used and the final layout.

Construction works of 't Centrum started in May 2021. The building was officially opened in May 2022. Kamp C realised this together with a consortium of 7 companies and organisations. With a well-thought-out circular design and a conscious choice of materials, techniques and innovative business models, it should become a catalyst for circular building in Flanders and beyond.