BENGglas® Hybrid for the Universe Renovation
(C) Fred Libochant Photography || Former KPN headquarters in The Hague || Source: Glas in Beeld
Contractors are currently transforming the former KPN headquarters in The Hague into a high-quality government office building: Universe. The U-shaped building, a project of the Central Government Real Estate Agency, is an eye-catcher both aesthetically and in terms of sustainability. BENGglas® Hybrid, hybrid vacuum glazing, contributes significantly to the quality of this iconic building.
The building, which will house more than 1,100 workstations, is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2027.
The Green Campus
Universe, located in the Binckhorst business park, has eleven floors. It was part of the former “The Green Campus,” a large-scale office complex for KPN comprising twelve different buildings on Maanplein. The building offers approximately 22,000 square meters of office space and features a parking garage with 200 spaces. The Central Government Real Estate Agency (RVB) purchased it in 2023 to help ensure adequate housing for government employees in The Hague.
Built in 1998, this building wraps around a courtyard garden and, once operational, will be an exceptionally environmentally friendly structure—an example of sustainable transformation and circular design. At first glance, the Universe appears to be a rather imposing building, with many angles and variations in height. But it also has its merits, such as the long sightlines and the high, semicircular space overlooking the courtyard garden.
Paris-proof with BENGglas® Hybrid
Climate ceilings from the former Zwitserleven office in Amstelveen and suspended ceilings from the temporary NATO office. With the transformation of Universe, the client, the RVB, is taking the next step in circular construction. The building will receive an A++++ energy rating, exceeding the requirements of Paris Proof—the international climate agreements to which the RVB must adhere. These agreements stipulate that new buildings must be energy-neutral during operation, and during construction, the RVB must reduce CO2 emissions as much as possible. This is achieved through the use of thousands of square meters of reused and biobased materials: 14,000 square meters of interior walls, 20,000 square meters of flooring, and 15,000 square meters of ceilings come largely from recycled or bio-based sources. In several categories, the percentages exceed 90 percent.
Sustainable with BENGglas Hybrid
Another major goal is to ensure that no existing materials are wasted during the renovation. Materials removed during construction are reused elsewhere in the building. The building envelope has also been specifically upgraded for sustainability, and just as with the structural renovations, the elements being removed are being reused. For example, the facade glazing that needed to be replaced is being incorporated into new, bio-based interior wall systems.
The goal of not wasting any existing materials also influenced the decision to use BENGglas® Hybrid. The original business case was based on retaining the existing window frames and installing new triple-pane glass with new glazing beads. JP van Eesteren discovered vacuum glazing, and by implementing the hybrid system—which includes an additional inner pane—the existing aluminum window frames, including the glazing beads, could be retained. This approach proved to be fully aligned with the philosophy behind the building’s transformation.
By eliminating the costs associated with removal, disposal, and installation, the use of BENGglas® Hybrid emerged as the clear winner in the comparison.
BENGglas® Hybrid Double Coated
The BENGglas® Hybrid Double Coated used in this project has a U-value of 0.38 W/m²K, a g-value of 0.39, and was installed with thermally broken spacers. A new BENG calculation showed that the glass more than met the requirements, even while retaining the 26-year-old Kloosterman profiles (which have poorer thermal insulation than today’s profiles). In addition, there were requirements regarding the burglary resistance class, and part of the glass had to meet the
fire-resistant EW30 requirement. This latter requirement was met using BENGglas® PyroVac® Hybrid, a collaboration between BENGglas and Pyroguard.
The major advantage for the contractor was that, for each window frame brand, BENGglas® Hybrid of the same thickness as the existing standard double-pane glass was installed. Virtually all of the glass—a total of six 40-foot containers—was fully assembled on LandGlass’s own production lines in China. The fire-rated glass was assembled at Pyroguard in France. At 1,900 square meters, Universe is the largest project using hybrid vacuum glazing in Europe for manufacturer LandVac. The
far-reaching transformation demonstrates the many flexible possibilities of this innovative glass.
At the forefront of innovation
BENGglas® is a new generation of insulating glass ranging from 6.7 to 16.3 millimeters in thickness, featuring a 0.3-millimeter vacuum cavity and a vacuum level of <0.1 Pa. Vacuum glazing offers thermal insulation that is significantly lower than that of triple-pane glass: values ranging from 0.34 to 0.49 versus 0.7 W/m²K. However, the glass is much thinner and lighter than comparable triple-pane glass. In addition, the unique edge seal is so solid and durable—thanks to the use of patented Titanium Technology—that it has a service life at least twice as long while maintaining the exact U-value, even when installed at an angle. BENGglas® also makes it possible to significantly reduce the thickness of new window frames and windows, thereby drastically reducing the amount of raw materials required. These properties help reduce CO2 emissions, both during production (100% powered by solar and hydro energy) and during use. BENGglas® can easily be manufactured as burglar-resistant, fall-through-proof, and fire-resistant safety glass. With a hybrid product—that is, one with a backing pane—and the use of thermally broken (“warm edge”) spacers, you can further improve the insulation value. This “thicker” variant also allows you to install the glass in existing window frames during renovation or remodeling projects.
Universe
Client: Central Government Real Estate Agency
Facade Contractor: Gevelbeheer Nederland
Glass supplier: BENGglas (LandVac)
Products used:
BENGglas® Hybrid (based on BENGglas® Double
Coated)1,535 m² with warm-edge spacers and tempered
inner pane (various thicknesses)272 m² with warm-edge spacers and laminated
tempered secondary pane
PyroVac® Hybrid EW30/EI15 (based on BENGglas® Double
Coated)31 m² with warm-edge spacers and Pyroguard
T-EW30/13-1 rear window
