Veldstation Saeftinghe (Field Station)/

RO&AD Architecten

Netherlands

Location(City/Country):

Land van Saeftinghe / Netherlands

Tipology:

Educational

Year (Design/Construction):

2018 / 2024

Area (Net/Gross):

- / 200 m2

Operational Carbon emissions (B6) kgCO2e/m2/y:

Embodied Carbon emissions (A1-A3) kgCO2e/m2:

The building is constructed almost entirely from second-hand materials, such as mooring posts, crossbeams, trusses, and window frames.
The building includes a non-air-conditioned corridor on the south side that functions as a climate corridor, helping to regulate the internal temperature naturally and reduce energy consumption.
Where recycled materials were not feasible, organic materials like straw and flax were used for insulation.
The design includes various features to support local wildlife, such as facade boxes filled with different materials to house insects, birds, and bats, and a roof covered with clay shells to provide nesting places for waders, terns, and seagulls.

The Veldstation (Field station) is a building for nature research on the border of Het Verdronken Land van Saeftinghe and the former Hedwigepolder.

With the Veldstation we wanted to give people and nature a place, so that the human presence can be a stimulus for nature in such a rough, open environment. By offering shelter and nesting opportunities in this open landscape for species from the salt marsh bee to the
short-eared owl, the ecosystem is supported and stimulated.

The Veldstation is located on the gas plateau and has its feet in the Western Scheldt. The research there continues 24 hours a day for several months in the spring, so the researchers must also be able to stay there. In addition, there is space for receiving groups
of people.

The idea of the building is to create a simple main shape, the core of which is for the people, and the shell and the spaces in between for the animals in the area. In this way, the attic remains open for birds, bats and other animals. The facade consists of facade boxes that
are all filled with other materials (sand, sedum, wood, stones, shells, etc.) to house insects, birds, bats and other animals. There is also space to shelter under the building. The roof is fairly flat and is covered with clay shells, making it a safe nesting place for waders, terns and seagulls. This was already used extensively during construction. There is already a barn owl, a kestrel nested there and terns and terns have also nested on the roof. The spaces of the building consist of rooms connected one after the other, which are connected to a corridor on the south side. This corridor is not air-conditioned and functions as a climate corridor. Almost the entire building is made of second-hand material. The foundation consists of mooring posts from scaffolding along the Weugkade in Vlissingen. The crossbeams, trusses, girders and poles are sawn from poles that were released at the Krammersluizen and the Kreekraksluizen. The window frames are made from dune stairs near Westkapelle. The facade boxes, deck planks and stair stringers are made from wood from dune stairs in the municipality of Veere. The underside of the building consists of second-hand table tops. The climate facade is made from a second-hand roof from a Venlo greenhouse. Where recycled material was not possible or not in place, as much organic material as possible was used.

For example, insulation was provided with straw and flax and some facades were clad with poplar wood from the Hedwigepolder. The end result is a building that really has room for people and nature.