Super-sustainable office building for Big Green Egg Europe

Challenge

To express the whole concept that Big Green Egg represents – inspiration, enjoyment, the outdoors, honesty, purity, quality – in the architecture of the new building. The sustainability and manageability of the building were central in this. The building must remain modern and practicable for 20 years.

Solution

A building that is super sustainable thanks to the many solar panels on the roof, no need for a gas supply, with heat and cold storage, a buffer zone when it rains and very good insulation. A modern Priva building management system was of course unmissable here. Using this, all the climate systems are controlled in such a way that the premises consume as little energy as possible, and at the same time have a healthy and comfortable interior climate. The control units also fit perfectly into the modern and austere interior of Big Green Egg Europe’s premises.

Benefits

All the rooms can be controlled separately. Besides this, in every room, the CO2 level is measured, and when needed, the systems automatically supply fresh air. The climate in the building is kept liveable and manageable with a Priva building management system.

Wessel Buddingh, owner of Big Green Egg Europe, looks as proud as can be, and rightly so! Because he has had attractive premises built, and these fit admirably into the mission of his business. Wessel: “The premises we were in became too small and no longer matched the image we as Big Green Egg want to present to our customers and B2B partners. We initially went looking for an existing building, but we couldn’t find a single one that fitted with our brand. This is why we decided to buy a piece of land and build new premises. The environment we occupy – an industrial estate – is hardly inspiring, but that added to the challenge to create an inspiring space.” Now the Big Green Egg Europe team, increased to a staff of 16, works around the tree that stands in the middle of the patio and, in the summer, ensures that the daylight is filtered pleasantly.

Sustainable in every regard

In the development of the premises, sustainability was central. The building is not connected to the gas main, but generates its own energy from solar collectors on the roof and uses heat and cold storage in the ground. The green roof serves as water storage, and the land around the building is surfaced with grass paving, so that rain water can soak easily into the soil. “The building is very well insulated, with precast concrete walls featuring extra deep cavities. I myself come from the brick industry, so I knew right from the start what type of brick should be used: a stylish brick that’s bigger than average, so you have good insulation in both summer and winter. The Priva building management system also contributes significantly to the low energy bill. In the first four months we occupied these premises, our energy bill was zero!” Wessel states.

A flexible building management system for an optimal indoor climate

Wessel: “We wanted a modern, user-friendly building in which everything can be controlled very easily. This meant the climate as well. Because Priva has a good reputation within building automation and I also know Mr Prins (Priva’s founder) personally, I specifically wanted to have a Priva system. I think it’s excellent that each room can be controlled separately and that each room is also regulated on CO₂. I don’t want the staff losing all their energy during a meeting, so an optimal climate is essential.” The Priva system measures the CO₂ level and controls the climate systems automatically, so that the desired climate is created. The modern design of the control unit used to adjust the climate also fits in perfectly with the design of the building. “With Priva, we are really taking a step into the future: in this way, we are making and keeping the building liveable and manageable.”

So, everything’s perfect?

“Not yet, but 80% of it is! We’ve only just got started in the new building, so we’re still discovering and learning lots of things. For instance, we’ve not yet got any air conditioning, only a supply of cool air. Because the building features so much glass, we’re still finding out how best to deal with it. In any event, we don’t have a single regret about opting for Priva!”