From outdated to future-proof and sustainable care and treatment centre. Part 3: the renovation

Care and Treatment Centre Noord in ‘s-Hertogenbosch was in an outdated state when purchased in November 2021 by the Apollo Healthcare Property Fund and was in urgent need of redevelopment, renovation and sustainability. In the first part of this series, we talked about the purchase of the property and in the second part about the renovation plans. In this third part, we take a closer look at the renovation of the property with Thijs van Eijs.

Thijs van Eijs works as Senior Technical Manager at MVGM Zorgvastgoed and, among other things, executes the ESG policy for the entire Apollo Healthcare Property Fund portfolio. For new properties, this policy can be implemented from the start of construction; for properties that need to be redeveloped, it is more challenging. As is the case with De Rompert.

Thijs likes the challenge, though. Although De Rompert’s final energy label has not yet been received, the expectation is that this property will be awarded an A+ energy label for the time being. This is a conscious choice. The building currently has an energy label G, so the first improvements will already have far-reaching effects on the building’s insulation. Only later – when climate-technical developments have improved even more – will the building be looked at again and adapted here and there to possibly raise the building to an even higher energy label.

For now, the roof and exterior will be re-insulated first. Once the roof and exterior insulation are in order, the walls and floors inside will be done. After that, a hybrid heat pump will be installed so that the property is no longer entirely dependent on gas. These initial modifications will bring the property up to current climate-technical standards. For tenants, this means, among other things, huge savings on their energy bills in the long term.

Not only are the improvements to the property in line with ESG policy, the decision to renovate and redevelop rather than rebuild was also made for sustainability reasons. This is because completely demolishing and rebuilding the building costs more energy and leaves a larger carbon footprint. Not only must all building materials be disposed of, but making new concrete requires a lot of energy and has a large carbon footprint. In redevelopment, the concrete structure can basically remain in place and many materials can be reused.

“Circular construction produces less CO2 emissions than completely rebuilding and is therefore a better and more sustainable solution” , Thijs van Eijs, Senior Technical Manager at MVGM Zorgvastgoed

Redevelopment also involves looking at the existing plant, along with any new piping. The current layout within the building no longer conformed to current requirements. Reconfiguration also means making room to create a more pleasant working environment for people who are in the building all day. The current building was a classic 1970s building, made of concrete with little light and therefore very dark. A rearrangement of the interior spaces was therefore chosen, allowing better connection of the installation, and multiple windows were installed everywhere, allowing more light to enter. This makes the building a pleasant environment to visit and work in again.

The property is scheduled to be completed by the end of November 2022.