LOGISTICS
Nearing completion Heylen Warehouses’ Ghent Logistics Campus
Photo courtesy of Limit Fotografie.
Heylen Warehouses had cause for celebration at the start of April: with the installation of the last concrete wall panel the Ghent Logistic Campus in RiemeNoord, one of the logistic hotspots in the Belgian part of North Sea Port, entered the final phase of the construction works. For the logistics real estate developer the project is a major showcase. Less than two years after the official launch of the building process, the futureproof logistic complex – the largest undertaking of this kind so far in Belgium for the group – is nearing completion. The last two units (out of fourteen) with a combined surface of 23,000m² should be ready respectively by the end of June and the end of August. No small feat for a project aiming at creating 150,000m² of state-of-the-art distribution and storage capacity on a 250,000m² plot of land.
Strategic choice When Heylen effectively started building in June 2020, the pandemic provoked by the coronavirus outbreak was still at its high point and Belgium was in lock-down. It might have looked like the company was taking chances. But the project proved to be COVID-proof, as Business Development Manager Danaë Stove explains. “Taking a calculated risk is part of our entrepreneurial spirit.
Looking back, we have no reason whatsoever to regret the decision to build a logistical platform of this size on this location. We were one of the first parties to venture into this area and we started building before any firm contract was signed. But we were confident that this strategic choice would turn out right. And so it did.” “Two major clients have already taken their quarters in the complex. The omnichannel retail platform Connect+ started out in September last year at 20,000m² and hires 30,000m² at this moment. Eltra, a leading supplier of electrical do-it-yourself equipment, is still building up volumes, but is in for another 20,000m². These companies perfectly match the profile we are aiming at, namely customers who start out at this kind of level but have the potential to grow further.”
Sustainability and second-life principle The large-scale logistics complex consists of fourteen separate units covering 8,200 to 14,800m² each (not counting the mezzanines for added-value activities and the built-to-suit office space). They are equipped with one loading dock per 1,000m² and one ground-level gate per unit. True to the ‘campus’ philosophy of the developer, these units can be connected to each other in every direction to meet the evolving demand of the customers in a flexible way, by enlarging or reducing the space they are allocated to fit their needs. “The units share far-reaching technical specifications and are delivered ready-to-use. They are built to meet the BREEAM standards (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) for maximal sustainability and minimal ecological impact. The applications are numerous, going from led-lighting, solar panels on the roof and green energy to a
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07-06-2022 12:02
