maritime services
Loodswezen gets new Climate-neutral accommodation and maintenance building for pilotage service
For Nederlands Loodswezen (Dutch Pilotage Service), its new Pilot Support Building on the quays of the Binnenhaven in Vlissingen is a dream come true. The service can finally offer its crew inhouse accommodation and on top of that, the building is climate neutral and includes a bonus World War II bunker. Until recently, the Scheldemonden region of Nederlands Loodswezen had to house its visiting crew members in holiday cottages around Zeeland, while maintenance supplies for the various vessels were scattered around different locations. With the opening of the new Pilot Support Building along the Binnenhaven of Vlissingen, this logistical challenge has come to an end, says Loodswezen Scheldemonden’s President Georg Jaburg. “We have wanted our own accommodation building for quite some time, so when the municipality of Vlissingen offered to renovate our berth in the Binnenhaven on the condition that we purchased land adjacent to the quay, we jumped at the chance.”
Green design The building was designed by WTS Architecten from Vlissingen. It is energy-neutral with extra insulation, a heat pump, solar panels and no gas connection. “Loodswezen is placing increasing emphasis on being climate neutral, so when we designed this building we wanted it to have as little impact on the environment as possible”, says Mr Jaburg. “We are delighted with the result. The heat pump stores the summer heat for the winter months and we use the winter cold to cool the building in summer. It is so effective that we need very little additional heating. There are solar panels on the roof and any additional electricity we use comes from green sources.”
Comfortable accommodation On the ground floor of the two-storey building are the office and storage for the maintenance department. The first floor houses the temporary living quarters for visiting crew members. “Our 160 pilots live in the region, but the support staff to man our vessels is regularly called in from other parts of the country”, explains Mr Jaburg. The accommodation consists of a spacious living room with kitchen and balcony overlooking the port. In a separate wing, there are six comfortable bedrooms with a single bed, a workstation with a television, and bathroom facilities.
18 I PortNews
Loodswezen.indd 18
10-02-20 16:39
