Kloosterboer’s cold store, Cool Port, at Waalhaven in Rotterdam is one of the most sustainable facilities of its kind in the Netherlands. Indeed, the complex’s 86.76% score on the BREEAM-NL sustainability index for buildings has earned it an ’Outstanding’ certification.
The cold store, with a capacity of 40,000 pallet locations, has now been operational for one year. To ensure that it would be issued the desired BREEAM certificate, Kloosterboer took a number of measures both during and after construction. The most sustainable feature of the building is the 11,000 solar panels installed on its 27,000-m² roof surface. The expected annual yield is no less than 2.6 million kilowatt hours – equivalent to the annual power consumption of 737 households. This means that for a large share of its energy requirements, Cool Port is effectively self-sufficient.
White mullein
In addition, the DoBo principle has been implemented for the facility’s docks. As a result, containers/trailers can dock with closed hatches to preserve the cooling chain as far as possible. Mobile racks in the storage cells mean that the location makes more effective use of the available floor area and capacity, and the efficient storage of pallets allows Kloosterboer to save on cooling costs. The residual heat generated by the cooling installation is not only used for industrial processes, but also for heating floors in the office areas. The old paving stones of the former container terminal – the site of today’s Cool Port – have been re-used for the building’s foundations. The building plans also paid attention to the ecological environs of the site: for example, the Kloosterboer grounds also have new growing areas for the white mullein, a rare plant species.
Inspiring
“The energy transition is a process that is made up of many different steps, taken by many different parties, in which each player makes its own contribution. With its many targeted measures in its building and operational management, the Kloosterboer Cool Port cold store serves as an inspiring example in the port of Rotterdam,” says Allard Castelein, CEO Port of Rotterdam Authority.
Maasvlakte
The Cool Port certification isn’t the first BREEAM certificate that Kloosterboer has received for a new build project. In 2014, the company’s Maasvlakte location was assessed as ‘Very Good’. In the Netherlands, Kloosterboer holds 12th place in the Dutch Top 100 for Logistic Service Providers – as well as ranking 5th in the sustainability category.
