Wageningen Campus will have a collective building with a wooden construction

Construction of Plus Ultra III will soon start on the campus of Wageningen University & Research, as the final piece of the collective buildings on the ‘business strip’. The building was designed by Proof of the sum with flexibility and detachability as a focus, and a supporting structure that consists almost entirely of CLT.

The new building was designed on behalf of Kadans Science Partner, which focuses on the investment in, rental of and management of specific commercial (collective) buildings. Like many of these buildings, Plus Ultra III contains a combination of special functions: the building will provide space for pilot plants, laboratories, offices and communal meeting areas.

Plus Utra III offers space for institutions and companies that connect with the knowledge domains of Wageningen Campus: agriculture, food and biobased products, says Proof of the sum. With the addition of 7,600 m² flexible, rentable space, it meets the great demand for more space for start-ups, scale-ups and other organizations that fit Wageningen Campus.

New public space
The new building is the last of three collective buildings on the campus business strip. This allows the public space between the three buildings to be designed as an ‘Entrepreneurs Square’. The entrances to all buildings are located on this public space, which will be traffic-free and suitable for events.

The square will have different spaces and a connecting central piece of furniture. Nesting facilities for various animals are being created around the buildings. The architectural firm works together with Loos van Vliet for the public space.

High sustainability ambitions
The client and architects have the ambition to raise the sustainability standard for laboratory buildings with Plus Ultra III. The design focuses, among other things, on reducing its footprint by storing CO₂ and reuse of materials, reports Proof of the sum. The supporting structure consists almost entirely of CLT and the facade cladding will consist of recycled plastic specially developed for this project, according to the architectural firm.

All details in the design are developed with releasability in mind. Furthermore, a WKO, solar panels and energy-efficient installations are used, and high insulation values ​​are strived for. The ambition for Plus Ultra III is a BREEAM-NL Excellent certification.

Flexibility
In Plus Ultra III, the common areas will be arranged vertically around the atrium. Based on its own research, Proof of the sum reports, the architectural firm also ensures ‘shared intimacy’ in the atrium: a large number of smaller consultation rooms – for common use – are being created throughout the atrium. Their use is given priority at larger events or meetings.

The design of the construction, installations and furnishings takes adaptability into account, so that the building can meet the wishes of developing companies or new tenants, for example. The flexibility of the building allows adjustments to rooms, room functions and associated installations without major structural and installation interventions.

Connection with the environment
Plus Ultra III will largely have a double-height plinth, so that the activities of the pilot factories, or smaller production installations, are visible from the campus and Ondernemersplein. From the second floor onwards, the facade jumps out 10 centimeters further on each floor, comparable to the facade of Plus Ultra I. This movement is a direct translation of Plus Ultra: ‘more and more’.

Due to the pilot plants present in Plus Ultra III with their logistical and technical requirements, the communal atrium in this building starts from the first floor. This creates a diagonal connection from the Ondernemersplein with the heart of the new building via a large glass facade that the architects refer to as the ‘window’.

To prevent the installations from being visible and from causing noise pollution, the technical installations are included in the facade of Plus Ultra III. The facade image remains consistent and the passer-by does not notice the presence of larger installations. The plinth over two floors includes the main entrance on the east facade and the logistics entrance on the west facade. The plinth gives the building a robust base with which Ultra Plus III anchors itself in the environment.