Case study: Transavia

Excelling in sustainability thanks to proven technologies
Office building TransPort (Schiphol) obtains LEED Platinum certificate

The new TransPort office building at Schiphol has obtained the LEED Platinum sustainability certificate. This makes it one of Europe's most sustainable buildings. Architect firm Paul de Ruiter consistently opted for proven technologies and selected the best available solutions to limit the building's environmental burden. One of these technologies is ETAP lighting.

The 12,000 m² office building is part of the redevelopment of the Schiphol-Oost businesspark. Client and owner of the building is Schiphol Real Estate. Airline companies Transavia and Martinair are already housed here, as well as some of KLM's activities.

LEED guidelines rigorously followed
Sustainability was the top priority from the start. Project architect Noud Paes explains how he went to work: “We rigorously followed the guidelines for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) of the American Green Building Council. This is a thick book with specific solutions to save energy and water, cut CO2 emissions, improve the climate inside and deal with specific raw materials and resources in a sustainable way.”

A combination of proven techniques
Paes says the guidelines are very clear and very realistic. “That's the nice thing about it,” he says. “You only get LEED points with ‘proven technology’, not futuristic ideas. We subjected all our design decisions to these guidelines and then adjusted them.” He mentions some noticeable choices:

Use of heat and cold storage in combination with concrete core activation, an emerging technique that utilises the heat buffer capacity of the concrete floors to keep the room temperature constant.
Solar panels on the high-rise development generate on average 112,500 kWh energy a year, approximately 30% of the total consumption of the building.
The green roof on the low-rise development forms an insulation layer and a natural water buffer. It also extracts CO2.
The reuse of waste water saves about 40% of water.
Cladding on the south facade reduces natural heating, and allows sufficient daylight in.

“It is a smart combination of proven technologies,” says Paes. “In this way we obtained the highest qualification.”

ETAP lighting fits in concept
The choice for ETAP lighting was presented by engineering office Deerns Rijswijk. They judged the luminaries on sustainability, quality and aesthetics, in consultation with architect Paes. “ETAP's proposal fitted in perfectly with our concept,” says Paes. “The R4 suspended luminaires we used are energy efficient and spread the light in the space nicely. The low Unified Glare Rating (UGR) avoids glare and increases the comfort in an area where computer screens are used intensively. The lighting result comes very close to natural light. On the window side daylight sensors control the illuminance fully automatically based on the amount of daylight. ETAP also provided K9 maintained safety signs, equipped with LEDs. They have their own power consumption of only 1 Watt and a life span of 10 years, which limits both the energy cost and the cost of maintenance.”

Project sheet:

Client: Schiphol Real Estate Schiphol
Architect: Paul de Ruiter Architecten Amsterdam
Consultant: Deerns Raadgevende Ingenieurs Rijswijk
Installer: Croon Elektrotechniek BV

Lighting: