Most sustainable school in the Netherlands

Long-lasting building materials

The college with its around 850 pupils finances itself in a similar manner to accredited private schools in Germany, and has to pay its own operating costs. That’s why the school’s administrators decided to utilise longlasting materials for the new building. The purchase and maintenance costs were compared and assessed to determine whether any possible additional costs could be amortised. In doing so, the planners oriented themselves to the classification of the materials in line with the British rating system BRE for sustainable building.

Environmentally compatible and designoriented

The floor coverings from the Weinheim-based rubber specialists nora systems also make a contribution to the good sustainability footprint at the Christiaan Huygens College. A total of around 6,000 square metres of noraplan signa in seven colours were installed in the classrooms and communal area. The rubber floor covering meets both the specification of the school administrators for sustainable materials, as well as the wish of the architect, Thomas Rau, for a large colour spectrum.

“noraplan floor coverings are certified in compliance with the BRE rating and have also attained the highest ranking (BRE A+) by virtue of their excellent environmental qualities,” explains Frank Beulen, Account Manager at nora flooring systems BV in the Netherlands. At the same time, the rubber covering with its choice of over 300 shades of colour in the standard range opens up practically boundless design possibilities for planners.

Economic cleaning without a coating

On account of their dense sealed surface, nora floor coverings do not require a coating and can be easily cleaned. This makes them superior to other resilient floor coverings, as Beulen explains: “With coated floor coverings, the sealing needs to be renewed once a year. This is not only expensive, but it also puts a burden on the environment because the old coating is removed using chemicals, which then get into the ground water through the drain.”

“At a school like the Christiaan Huygens College with its 6,000 square metres of floor covering, by choosing rubber the operator can save between 15,000 and 20,000 euros in maintenance costs every year,” emphasises Beulen. “Although nora floor coverings are initially more expensive, these extra costs are recouped very quickly due to the lower cleansing costs.” Numerous reference projects worldwide bear witness to the fact that nora’s rubber floor coverings still look like new even years later.

Certified environmental compatibility

nora floor coverings essentially comprise high-grade industrial and natural rubber qualities, naturally occurring minerals, as well as environmentally sound colour pigments. The rubber floor coverings are free of PVC, phthalate plasticisers and halogens. They contribute to a healthy indoor air and are therefore the number one choice for schools and day-care centres in particular. The noraplan signa installed at the Christiaan Huygens College also bears the “Blue Angel... for low emissions” eco-label.