Circular City Heating at WOS Hakfort in Amsterdam

Reducing CO₂ with City Heating

Vattenfall, one of the larger energy suppliers in the Netherlands, has a clear goal: to enable fossil-free living within one generation. When architect Willem Schutter was designing a circular heat substation in Amsterdam, he approached us for a collaboration.

The Hakfort Heat Transfer Station (Warmteoverdrachtstation Hakfort, or short: WOS Hakfort) in Amsterdam Zuidoost (Southeast) is part of the district heating network of the city of Amsterdam.

District heating is comfortable and environmentally friendly heat coming from a combined heat and power plant. The heat is released when electricity is generated and can be reused for heating residential areas and industrial estates. This way of heating requires almost no extra gas.

Residents and companies with district heating and sustainable cooling achieved 55% less CO₂ emissions in 2020 in the southeastern part of Amsterdam compared to gas-fired central heating systems. This will improve further in the coming years by using new, sustainable heat sources.

Location: Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Client: Vattenfall
Design: Willem Schutter Architect
Construction: J.P. Van Eesteren
Application: Facades
Products: Nougat Punched, Mopé Punched
Status: Completed, 2021

Impact

Waste upcycled with this project 104,656 kg

Specks of Beautiful Waste

Circularity is very important to energy company Vattenfall. The heat distribution station has therefore been constructed as circular as possible with reusable steel construction and reusable wooden beams. The roof of the building is covered with grass.

Construction waste has also been processed in the bricks themselves. For this project, FRONT (formerly StoneCycling) supplied WasteBasedBricks and WasteBasedSlips in Orange and Nougat with Raw and Sliced finishes. The sliced bricks beautifully show the construction waste in the form of light speckles.

The combination of different textures and layers, presented in a lively orange facade with a (5%) touch of Nougat, resulted not only in a functional but also an aesthetically pleasing building.

StoneCycling WasteBasedBricks® - Orange Raw — Orange Raw WasteBasedBricks

StoneCycling WasteBasedSlipa® - Nougat Raw — Nougat Raw WasteBasedBricks

Vattenfall realizes heat transfer station and upcycles 104,656 kilos of waste with a circular facing brick — Festive celebration of the opening of WOS Hakfort.

The local residents' preference for brick, the circularity, my wish to construct a building as much as possible from one material, all these aspects come together in a functional building that derives its character from this special stone, unprocessed or cleverly sawn, as a grid detailed, added in colour in a fixed pattern.

Willem Schutter, Architect

We are pleased that sustainable construction is becoming an increasingly important precondition for construction projects such as this heat transfer station by Vattenfall. Debris from construction, demolition, and industrial processes is one of the largest waste streams in the world, and the construction sector is also responsible for a third of all CO₂ emissions in Europe. That is why we are proud that these parties are leading the way with us on the road to circular construction.

Ward Massa, CEO FRONT

Products in this project

Nougat WasteBasedBrick | FRONT® Materials

WasteBasedBricks Nougat Punched

A soft yellow tone with a hint of warm pink. Nougat is the 21st-century answer to London Stock Bricks.

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WasteBasedBricks Mopé Punched

A light and lively terracotta-coloured brick. Mopé makes your project look warm and bright.

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WasteBasedBricks Nougat & Orange Sliced & Raw (Old Collection)

This project was realised with products that are no longer in our main collection. For similar products, please see above. Looking for something slightly different? With our Custom Made Service, it's possible to develop your own bespoke brick or brick slip.

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