Her Majesty Queen Máxima visited Houtwerk I and Houtwerk II at Campus Werkspoor in Utrecht on 19 December this year as part of circular construction. During a guided tour, she was explained about the use of circular materials in the construction and interior design of the building. In a concluding conversation at the office, Queen Máxima discussed the future-proofing and focus areas of circular construction with experts in the circular economy and construction.

Circular design

Blink is located in Region West in HoutWerk I. This wooden building was developed by Lingotto, 3T Vastgoed and Evoke and realised by sister company Woody Building Concepts. The design is by m.architects. The office provides accommodation mainly for companies from the circular and digital sectors.

During a guided tour, Stefan Boere of Blink explained more about the use of circular materials in the design of the building. With the vision that a sustainable future is the only future, circularity has been completely implemented in the interior of the accommodation in Houtwerk I. Materials with a story are the common thread and create awareness among visitors and employees alike.

Ivo van der Mark, CEO of JAJO, talked about the joint mission within the group ‘Closing the circle, together.’ Indeed, the necessary change in the material cycle of real estate is only possible by working together with the entire chain of partners, suppliers, clients and construction companies.

Building in wood

HoutWerk II is currently being built by Woody Building Concepts, partly on the basis of the experience gained from the construction of HoutWerk I. On behalf of Lingotto, Bob Jansen told Queen Máxima about the advantages of building in wood and what points of interest there are.

Then Job Kuijpers of Woody Building Concepts took Queen Máxima through the technical aspects of building in wood, such as fire resistance, detachability and the application of installations. The design of Houtwerk II is by m. architects and buro werda with structural advice by Adviesbureau Lüning.

In conversation about circular construction

In a closing conversation at the office, Queen Máxima discussed the future-proofing and focus areas of circular construction with experts in the circular economy and construction. Also joining the closing discussion was Peter Heuvelink, managing director Blink. From the hands of Ivo van der Mark, Queen Máxima received a ‘Trees for all’ certificate, offsetting the CO2 footprint of the working visit. The other attendees received the certificate digitally.