Getting connected: Eco-friendly new Feadship yard joined to Amsterdam city heating network

A major milestone has been passed in the construction of the new Feadship yard in Amsterdam, which is scheduled to open its doors next May in a location close to the city centre. As part of the facility’s sustainable construction and operation, the entire yard – Feadship’s fourth in the Netherlands – will use district heating. This form of city heating has become very popular in eco-conscious cities like Amsterdam because it allows for the distribution of both renewable and surplus heat.

The close location of the main district heating operation in Amsterdam to the yard made it relatively easy for the most to be made of this sustainable solution in principle. But the actual connection for such a giant building was another matter altogether and resulted in an impressive scene on Saturday 13 October as eleven mobile cranes lined up adjacent to the yard. They were all required to work in synchrony and lift the 160-metre pipe that has been tunnelled some 20 metres beneath the nearby A5 motorway and railway line. As a result, the yard is now connected to the main branch of the district heating pipeline leading into the city.

The new Feadship facility will use this green source of energy for the floor heating in the main hall, the spray cabins and drying areas, the workshops and the offices. The air handling units deployed to add additional heat when required will also be connected to this innovative district heating system.

There are various other ways in which the fourth Feadship yard will go the extra mile to protect the environment, including the fact that the main building roof will be covered in some 2262 solar panels. The estimated 550,000 kWh of energy generated annually by these panels will be put to good use as the facility accommodates Feadships of up to 160 metres in length with a beam of 26 metres.