On Tuesday, 13 December, FrieslandCampina (initiator and leaseholder) and Hurks property development (investor and developer) will kick off construction of the new FrieslandCampina Innovation Centre in Wageningen. Over the next 18 months, a distinctive building will take shape on the Wageningen UR campus, which is due for completion in mid-2013. Hurks property development and FrieslandCampina are jointly investing EUR 60 million in the complex.
The new building will house approximately 400 FrieslandCampina employees, giving them access to approximately 4,600 m² of laboratories and areas for taste tests, a pilot plant covering 2,500 m², 3,800 m² of facilities and 7,100 m² of office space. The FrieslandCampina Innovation Centre will also accommodate a so-called Experience Centre, including an innovative kitchen and pilot bakery. Visitors and employees of FrieslandCampina from all over the world will come to this Centre to taste, smell and feel products in an inspirational environment.
Cees ’t Hart, CEO of Royal FrieslandCampina: “Innovation plays an important role in our route2020 strategy. Creating innovations in consumer products, ingredients and processes is vital to help meet consumers’ needs and to add more value to the milk of our members. With the new Innovation Centre, we are developing a building to inspire our people that also offers state-of-the-art facilities. It will be located in the heart of Food Valley, the international food knowledge centre.”
Geert Hurks, supervisory board chairman of the Hurks group: “In addition to the Philips High Tech Campus and High Tech Automotive Campus in Helmond, the FrieslandCampina Innovation Centre will be a complex development that is also in a campus setting. Hurks has already added value to the realisation of campus developments through intensive cooperation within the Hurks chain.”
“We approach projects in an integrated and sustainable way that spotlights energy saving, responsible use of materials and future-proofing play. Anticipating the next life of a building is a basic financial criterion. This means the high level of flexibility and reusability of the building become an essential objective and a foundation for a long functional life.”
Hurks and FrieslandCampina share a joint ambition to apply Breeam certification with a performance target of ‘Very Good’. Breeam certification is the world’s most important and most commonly applied sustainability rating system for buildings. It looks at management, health, energy, transport, water, materials, waste, land use, ecology and the environment.
Lex Hoefsloot, alderman for Economic Affairs of Wageningen municipality and portfolio holder for Economics, Food and Innovation of the Food Valley region is pleased with the arrival of FrieslandCampina. “It demonstrates that Wageningen, City of Life Sciences and the location of numerous education and scientific institutions, offers an attractive environment for multinationals. This step is also perfectly compatible with the ambitions of the Food Valley region to develop into the European top region in the field of healthy and sustainable food.”
The building was developed by Hurks property development and will be constructed by Hurks van der Linden, which is part of Hurks group. OeverZaaijer architects and urban developers are responsible for the design and Fokkema & Partners Architects are responsible for designing the interior. Arcadis Nederland is the construction and plant adviser. FrieslandCampina has been advised on the project by IPMMC Consult and 3stone Real Estate, among others.
Artist impression of interior