Working sustainably is at the heart of what Heylen Warehouses does, it is no longer a trend but a matter of course. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an integral part of our policy for our customers.
Each day we look carefully at the social, ecological and economic impact of our operations on ourselves and our stakeholders.
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In our real estate projects, we apply the second-life principle.
We design buildings that not only meet today’s needs, but also respond flexibly to tomorrow’s requirements. Quality, functionality and flexibility are key. By building with the future in mind, we create sustainable buildings that last several “lifetimes”.
To achieve this, we opt for the highest functional usage standards on the market today. This makes our warehouses broadly applicable for a variety of customers and logistics processes. They are suitable for traditional pallet storage with high to very high floor loads, but also for production and assembly activities or intensive e-commerce operations.
We provide maximum clear heights and high floor loads, making our buildings flexibly adaptable for a variety of applications: from racking with narrow or wide aisles to picking towers (with built-in floors up to three additional levels) and applications for automation and robotisation.
Future-proofing also means making buildings energy-efficient. In the first instance, we focus on reducing energy demand as much as possible. We achieve this in various ways:
We are also working on neutralising the CO² emissions linked to our building installations by investing in renewable energy.
At Heylen Warehouses, we design and realise buildings where people like to work. Our focus is on creating a safe, comfortable and inspiring working environment – both during the construction phase and when the building is in use.
We provide separate traffic flows for freight and passenger traffic, which not only contributes to safety but also creates space for sufficient parking for staff. Each building will be equipped with outdoor areas and (roof) terraces, accessible to both office and warehouse staff.
By using windows and glass strips in the facades, we bring abundant daylight into the warehouses, contributing to a pleasant and motivating working atmosphere. We consciously choose high-quality finishing materials and building techniques that are not only sustainable, but also guarantee a healthy and comfortable working environment.
Special attention is also paid to architectural design. We aim for high visual quality and designs with a timeless character, so that our buildings are not only functional, but also aesthetically appealing.
And ecologically, we are also strongly committed to well-being and sustainability, as shown by our project in Evergem, where we put biodiversity at the heart of the design and construction of the Ghent Logistic Campus.
Flexibility and responsible and efficient land use through application of the campus concept. Unlike the development of several small detached buildings, the campus concept is characterised by a large-scale building consisting of several interconnected warehouse units. All units can be used completely independently but can also be perfectly interconnected depending on the needs of our users. This offers users maximum flexibility over a long period of time. Future growth and shrinkage can be accommodated flexibly within the contours of the campus without the need to constantly construct new buildings and leave existing premises empty. It also offers new start-up companies a low-threshold start of their logistics operation with the certainty that there is room for the company’s next growth phase.
As landlord and manager of a sizeable (logistics) property portfolio, we strive for the most efficient energy consumption and low operating costs.
We work with high-quality state-of-the-art materials and products with proven technology both in application and in long-term operation and management. We always look for the most sustainable cost of life for each product or system.
All maintenance-sensitive systems are linked to the Heylen Warehouses Building Technologies Platform, resulting in more knowledge and insight into their use and maintenance needs. The result is improved performance of these systems and cost reductions through selective maintenance.
In the realisation of our new-build developments, we always apply the BREEAM methodology. The methodology focuses on various sustainability categories: management, energy, health and well-being, transport, water, materials, waste, pollution, land use and ecology. If required, we can also have our properties certified.
