On 14 November the jury of the Dutch Construction Award 2007 nominated Safire for the award in the category ‘integrated design and construction’. Safire, a consortium comprising ABN AMRO, Burgers Ergon, GTI, ISS and Strukton, will realize the renovation of the Dutch ministry of Finance through Public Private Partnership (PPP). The project comprises the design, renovation, financing and remodeling of the existing 66,000 m2 building, together with the management and maintenance of the premises for a period of 25 years.

The jury expressed  the opinion that with its design, Safire had managed exceptionally well to meet the wishes of the client. At the same time a 16% cost reduction was realized compared to traditional ways of tendering.

Durability played an important part in the design. Energy use is substantially reduced by means of a heat-cold storage installation, heat pumps, double façade and climate ceilings. The consortium will make use of 100% durable energy. In addition, the interior use of the building is very flexible through the use of elevated floors, climate ceilings and by placing the installations in the double façade.

These results were possible because in its decisions the client not only took into account the price, but also the qualitative criteria. Project director Gerard Versseput of Safire: “Our price offer does not only consist of the construction cost, but also the maintenance, energy cost and facility services. This means that during the design process we had a life-cycle approach in mind. All parties involved worked together as an integrated team on the design and pricing. It was not the building that was put central, but the future user. By this approach, innovative and inventive solutions could be developed.”

The winner of the Dutch Construction Award 2007 will be announced on 5 February 2007.