Sustainability
MVSA's viewpoint on integral sustainability
Sustainability forms an integral component of MVSA’s philosophy. Sustainability concerns much more than energy, materials and waste. The relationship between a building and its surroundings, flexibility of use and the reuse of vacant and neglected buildings are also issues that have rightly gained a more prominent position. This does not make the development process any easier. MVSA sees a key role for itself here: the supervision and management of the integral design processes. A good basis for a sustainable building is already created with the first conceptual sketches. What is the building’s orientation? How can the building and its surroundings strengthen one another? Our office can call on its extensive experience in sustainable construction. The vision of sustainability will continue to develop, with MVSA in the vanguard. And there’s a simple reason for this: MVSA is convinced that sustainable buildings provide enormous added value for both their users and their surroundings.
GWL Housing
New building
Amsterdam
1993 - 1998
A car-free residential area with its own cogeneration (combined heat and power, CHP) system, green roofs, ecological water management, grey water for toilets and environmentally friendly materials. As many homes as possible have a southerly orientation.
Pakhuis Amsterdam
Renovation
Amsterdam
1996 - 1999
An old cocoa warehouse has been renovated into a high-quality and flexible building with a beautiful combination of the old and the modern. The warehouse now forms a key feature of the elegant urban landscape along the Oostelijke Handelskade boulevard.
Faculty of Science
Amsterdam
2001 - 2009
A sustainable development of the Science Park, with a central role for the new Faculty of Science of the University of Amsterdam. The park is provided with its own cogeneration (combined heat and power, CHP) system. The buildings have a high degree of flexibility to keep up with rapid scientific developments, but at the same time form a welcoming environment for the university’s many students.
ING House
Amsterdam
1997 - 2002
An innovative, ‘intelligent’ building with optimal integration of architecture and climate-control technology, which responds to both outside influences and the individual wishes of its users. The building features a very early application of underground heat/cold storage in combination with climate control ceilings. The double skin outer walls enable a high level of transparency to be combined with an extremely comfortable interior climate. The interior is characterised by its great spaciousness and its many gardens.
Ministry of Finance
The Hague
2004 - 2008
The old brutalist building has undergone a metamorphosis, transforming it into a highly energy-efficient, open and light building. By roofing over the former patio, the building has been given a hospitable heart. The design is also striking in its far-reaching integration of architecture and climate control technology, with its double skin outer walls, heat and cold storage and climate control ceilings.
Banstraat apartments
Amsterdam
2009 - 2014
The transformation of an 1970’s office building into an exclusive, modern apartment complex in Amsterdam. This project addresses the problem we face with the huge amount of redundant office spaces currently in the Netherlands. Reuse of a building saves on materials, energy and the environment. At a national level reprogramming and redesigning premises like these are of vital importance for the economy and the city in general.
CBS Heerlen
New building
Heerlen
2006 - 2009
The new premises of Statistics Netherlands (Centraal Bureau voor Statistiek) have arisen on the site of the former Oranje Nassau Mine. An old mineshaft is located precisely at its midpoint, beneath the central atrium. As an initial project, the water in the old mineshafts and tunnels is being used for heat and cold storage.
Heart Foundation
The Hague
2008 - 2011
The ambition of the design for the Dutch Heart Foundation is to be ‘healthy for the environment and for its users’. In addition to its very low energy use levels, environmentally friendly materials and green roofs, the design also encourages a healthy lifestyle, with an inviting stairway and outdoor terraces on each storey. It is the first office building to be awarded the BREEAM ‘Excellent’ certificate.
SOZAWE
Department of Social Affairs and Employment
Groningen
2009 - 2013
The design for the new premises of the Department of Social Affairs and Employment is characterised by its great openness, with two covered atriums that are open to the public. The far-reaching integration of architecture and climate control technology is seen in, for example, the design of the windows (giving high light levels and extensive views without excessive warming by the sun) and the combination of heat and cold storage with concrete core activation in the hollow InfraFloor. The building’s sustainability is also given tangible form with green roofs, rainwater harvesting and solar panels.