Groen Nobelhorst construction project: building for the future with Pirrouet® CO2-negative facing bricks
Discover the pioneering Groen Nobelhorst project in Almere, in the Netherlands, where 60 sustainable homes are being built. In these homes, sustainability, responsibility for people and the environment, and innovation come together. We are proud of our collaboration with the Heutink Group and SOME architects. As pioneers, they have chosen to be the first in the Netherlands to build with our CO2-negative Pirrouet® facing brick.
Groen Nobelhorst: Sustainability as a core value
"The heart of our vision at Groen Nobelhorst lies in the green, sustainable aspect, which relates not only to the environment, but also to the future of the community." Merijn de Jong of SOME architects shares his enthusiasm: "Nobelhorst has a village-like appeal: the greenery, space and neighbours who greet you, togetherness! This has resulted in architecture that reflects this “green village living”
Building for people and living together in harmony
Merijn shares his deep conviction: "At the end of the day, we build for people. So the social, the cohesion and increasingly living together in a community, that's something we find very important. And really something for now and in the future. That has been the core of our vision for this project." In his words, it is clear that the Groen Nobelhorst project is not just a building project, but a vibrant community, a reflection of the times and a promising look to the future.
The social, the cohesion and increasingly living together in a community is something for now and the future. It was at the heart of our vision for this project.
Working with sustainable materials
The challenge of realising such a sustainable project led to the choice of building with different materials. Helmich Heutink, CEO of Heutink Group explains: "The challenge of building with sustainable materials was something we as a company naturally accepted. As a result, we chose various bio-based and circular materials for these homes, including the Pirrouet® facing brick." Merijn de Jong shares his search for new bricks: "I was really looking for a new type of brick, because we use bricks in so many of our projects. And we found the perfect match with the Pirrouet®, a facing brick with a negative CO2 footprint. Green Nobelhorst was therefore the perfect project where we could be innovative and make a sustainable statement."
Pirrouet®: Durability in every stone
What makes Pirrouet® so unique? Cees Groot of Vandersanden, explains: " The Pirrouet® facing brick distinguishes itself by using residual flowsfrom the steel industry as raw material. In addition, we use the CO2 released from industries with intensive energy consumption to harden the brick using innovative carbonation technology. So as well as reducing waste, we use up to 80% less primary raw materials and also ensure that the production process is CO2 negative. "
Sustainability mission
"The Netherlands has a strong brick culture. I think the Pirrouet® facing brick can really be the missing link to keep a lot of plans with a "brick look and feel" while embracing CO2 reduction," Helmich points out. "Pirrouet®'s innovation harmonises perfectly with our company, which makes us enormously proud. Together, we are putting Green Nobelhorst on the map as an example of sustainable building and taking responsibility for the future."
"We believe there should be a change in the use and emission of CO2. Our vision of Together to Zero, our sustainability mission, actually involves not emitting CO2 and even absorbing CO2 with the Pirrouet® facing brick."
What do we mean by CO2-negative bricks?
Pirrouet® bricks absorb CO2 permanently (CO2 negative). The CO2 absorbed is not released again, not even at the end of the life cycle. For the 60 houses in Almere, we use 320,000 Pirrouet® bricks, accounting for a façade area of 5,000 m2 or 64 Pirrouet® bricks per square metre (in LF50-S format with joint). Each square metre of façade permanently stores 8.5 kg of CO2, of which 7 kg is stored during the production process and a further 1.5 kg CO2/m2 is stored during the continued life of the Pirrouet® bricks. In total, the 60 houses will permanently store 42,500 kg of CO2. That is about as much CO2 as 60 trees would store in 28 years.
Any questions?
Are you curious about Pirrouet® and do you have any questions? Then contact us and our advisor will be happy to help you.