During the Gala of the Dutch Construction Fair on 5 February, Safire B.V. won the Public Award with the PPP project Renovation Dutch ministry of Finance. Out of the 20 nominated projects, this PPP project gained the vast majority of the votes, divided over 6 categories. Safire also won the Dutch Construction Award 2007 in the individual 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 architect is Meyer & Van Schooten from Amsterdam. This project is the first PPP project for government office buildings in The Netherlands. It comprises the renovation and remodelling of the 66,000 m2 building, including management and maintenance of the premises for a period of 25 years.
The jury’s comments were as follows: a renovation, whereby at the start the continuity and operation of the building is guaranteed for 25 years, has never occurred before in Dutch construction history. This case is an example of good cooperation between all the parties involved. Among the many advantages, this approach resulted in an estimated 15% cost reduction compared to traditional methods of tendering. It is a very innovative contract form within the construction industry, whereby the integration of the several parties involved is put central.
And the public agreed with the jury - the 90,000 people that visited the Dutch Construction Fair were able to vote for their favorite project, and Safire won this Public Award with 56% of the votes. The prizes are awarded every two year to projects, products or processes that contributed in a special way to the quality of construction. Most important considerations are innovation and the environment.
With the PPP project Renovation ministry of Finance the architect succeeded admirably in, on the one hand, retaining the brutalist style of the original design and, on the other hand, creating new possibilities. The small court garden has been transformed into an atrium with a meeting centre, the façade at Korte Voorhout has been opened up, making the large court garden into an easily accessible “courtyard” with the building’s central entrance. On the corner of Korte Voorhout and Prinsessegracht, a transparent winter garden has been incorporated. This glass construction on one corner of the building will become a clear landmark for the inner city of The Hague.
Environmental 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 building will make use of 100% durable energy. Another important factor in the design was interior flexibility, which is achieved through the use of raised floors and climate ceilings and by placing the installations in the double façade.
These results were possible because in its decisions the Client took into account not only the price, but also the qualitative criteria. Retiring project director of Safire, Gerard Versseput: “Our offer comprised not only 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 construction renovation of the ministry of Finance will start early 2007. It is expected that the refurbished premises will be inaugurated at the end of 2008.
Photo: Ronald Tilleman
Left to right: Sigrid Pikker (Department of Housing, Regional Development and the Environment), Gerard Versseput (retiring project director of Safire) and Sietske Bergsma (ministry of Finance) collect the Public Award