Top Sustainability Label for the Tallest Timber Tower

HAUT, the tallest timber building in Amsterdam and possibly of the world, has received a BREEAM Outstanding certificate. It is a unique achievement: never before in the Netherlands was this highest qualification for sustainability awarded to a residential building. The design by Team V and Arup proves that sustainability and a very high quality of living go hand in hand.

The BREEAM label is very popular throughout Europe, it not only measures sustainability in terms of energy use but also examines themes like material use, environmental friendliness, ecological contributions and healthy living conditions.

The high sustainability score of HAUT is partly due to the timber building structure. Wood has a much lower carbon footprint than concrete and steel. During the growth of trees they absorb carbon dioxide. This means that about 2,500 tons of carbon dioxide will be stored into HAUT’s timber. This results in a huge reduction of CO₂ emissions compared to a comparable building in concrete and steel: equal to the CO₂ emissions associated with the primary energy use of the 52 homes for about 10 years.

In addition to the timber construction, HAUT is equipped with other innovative, sustainable solutions, like solar panels on the façade and the roof. The large, floor-high windows are fitted with triple glazing. The sustainable building installations make use of local cold storage in the ground and of district heating. A gray water system is used for watering the green roofs. Moreover, HAUT is a circular building: most of the materials used can be reused.

At 73 meters, HAUT is still the tallest wooden residential building in the world. The apartment sale starts in the spring of 2018. Construction will also begin in the summer of 2018. The project is being developed by Lingotto.

Read more about the sustainabilty of HAUT in the article ‘Amsterdam’s biggest tree house‘, in Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant.