The largest renovation with Dutch straw
Interview with Wouter Klijn, Strobouw Nederland
What was the reason for renovating a sports hall with straw?
In 2016, Strobouw Nederland (The national association for building with straw) invited the municipality of Tilburg to participate in the Interreg-NWE project with straw: UP STRAW. A joint inventory was made to see which of the more than 150 buildings in the municipality of Tilburg were most eligible for a pilot renovation with straw. De Roomley was selected as the best option at that moment because there was already a budget for mid-life maintenance on larger parts of the building due to its age.
Was it a logical choice to renovate with straw as insulation?
The use of straw in the built environment was still a completely new idea for the Municipality of Tilburg at the time. Ultimately, however, it tied in seamlessly with ambitions the municipality has been embracing for over 10 years. The current ambition was identified in 2016 within a "roadmap” towards "sustainable building exploitation" using the end of 2020 as the first evaluation point.
How did the use of straw become part of a renovation?
The first idea was to "wrap" only Roomley's two halls. This wrapping would require less energy to heat the building in the winter and would remain much cooler in the summer. The lower part of the building would be excluded from this renovation.
However, a major investment in a 40-year-old building requires a broader perspective. Therefore, a new plan was developed for a mid-life upgrade to a "zero-on-the-meter building" following the newly defined roadmap towards sustainable building exploitation.
Has the use of straw led to a different project approach?
When building with straw, the project approach does not have to be different from usual. Knowledge of the application of straw was already guaranteed through the partnership with Strobouw Nederland and other members of the UP STRAW project. And by working with companies who are committed to innovation, planning is progressing smoothly.
Read the full article on De Roomley Sports-hall (NL) | Interreg NWE (nweurope.eu)