- Q3 2023
- Completed
The eye-catching architecture contributes to biodiversity and turns Ara Almelo into the showpiece of XL Business Park Twente.
Warehouse
39,121 m²
Office space
2,572 m²
Mezzanine area
5,247 m²
Watch the Ara Almelo trailer
Stellar Development introduces each destination with a captivating trailer that highlights its unique features. Each trailer is complimented by its own, custom sound theme, inspired by the season in which the destination is delivered. Press ‘play’ to experience Ara Almelo with the seasonal sounds of autumn.
Updates from the construction site.
Nature, Architecture, Technology and Functionality: these elements add up to a destination of ‘stellar’ quality.
Ara Almelo is unique because of how it blends in naturally with the scenic semi-open Twente landscape, with plots divided by hedges and wooded banks. The unique ecological screen and the pond ensure a natural connection to this characteristic landscape. The screen’s size allows it to fit in perfectly with the surrounding built environment, while the vegetation on the screen creates a strong ecological chain between the current business activity and the historical nature in the area.
A bocage landscape made up of a semi-open
landscape and plots closed off with hedges and
wooded banks
Inspired by the
scenic Twente
landscape.
A bocage landscape made up of a semi-open
landscape and plots closed off with hedges and
wooded banks
A gateway to the world.
XL Business Park Twente is a multimodal business park that is easily accessible by car, by boat, and by train. Its excellent location on the Twente Canal and the presence of the Combi Terminal Twente (CTT) inland terminal, makes it a perfect inland waterway connection to Rotterdam and Hamburg.
Office window Ara Almelo
Better performance in a natural logistical environment.
Garden and Landscape Architect, Joost Emmerik
EMMERICK Garden Design and ResearchSenior
Ara Almelo will be an unusual destination in which working and nature will come together in a beautiful and unique way. In the outdoor spaces around this destination, relatively few activities take place and, as a result, there is little disturbance of flora and fauna, making it an inviting place to live for wildlife and plants.
Therefore, the working and living environment will become more beautiful and more lively. Studies show that people feel and perform better in a natural environment. Added value is created when people work in a place where care is provided for the environment.
A new nature system for people and wildlife.
The ecological screen is the most visible and characteristic element of Ara Almelo. For the plants, we decided on one main theme: the plants must be able to provide as much food and shelter for birds and insects year-round. If the animals and plants do well then it will contribute to the biodiversity we so desperately need. Nature also contributes to our physical and mental health. A natural and lively environment will help create a positive working climate. In this context we have also created a connection with the existing natural environment in the area.
By using trees that resemble the ones that already exist in the area, insects will easily be able to find their way within the new Ara Almelo living environment. The creation of new yet familiar nesting environments such as bird houses, bat boxes, and sand, the ideal habitat for some bee species, contribute to this. This results in a renewed eco system ideal for people and animals. The added value for people of being connected to nature from the inside out instead of looking out on grey industrial sites, is huge.
Landscape designer, Annemieke Langendoen
HOLLANDSGROEN
Climbing flower plants in the green wall in Ara Almelo
Ecological screen
Lower than the 1.0 Milieu Prestatie Gebouwen-standard
Measuring our ecological contribution through the Gaia® connection grid.
We collaborated with Rebel Group, who assessed the ecological, social, and financial effects on our ecological contribution. The ratio between ecological measures and the yields for various groups have been broadly visualized within the Gaia® connection grid, uniquely designed to fit within the Stellar Development identity. The most important conclusion; nature yields considerable added value and is a connecting factor for both end-user, environment, investor, and developer.
Green wall map
Creating a “natural” connection between two worlds.
The ecological screen creates an inside and outside world. The inside world is fully focused on logistical efficiency. The outside world is fully nature inclusive: blossomy grass, semi-paved where possible, climate adaptive and of course as biodiverse as possible.
The screen is the dividing line but also the connection between both worlds. The ecological screen is visible from all over the inside world and people will experience that nature is an integrated part of their stay at the destination.
Complying with the
EU Taxonomy
Regulation.
Sustainability is rooted in the brand identity of Stellar Development and reflected in Ara Almelo. The building components, for example, consist of carefully-chosen sustainable materials and sandwich panels were used to create the façade. These panels are light and reduce the use of materials by 12%. Ara Almelo is one of the first logistical buildings in the Netherlands to comply with the EU Taxonomy Regulation; a transparent classification system that was devised based on the Paris Climate Agreement, in order to objectively determine what is truly sustainable and what is not. The goal is to make investments more reliable and transparent and to tackle greenwashing. Stellar Development welcomes the EU Taxonomy, in the knowledge that what we build today shapes the world of tomorrow.
A selection of materials for Ara Almelo.
Architect, Diederik de Jonge
Heembouw Architects
Ara Almelo is functional but inspiring. It’s designed as efficiently as possible and the decision to use rich, natural materials and colors accentuates its unique design.
Architect, Diederik de Jonge
Heembouw Architects
Electric charging stations.
LED lighting in the corridors.
SIM concrete plates.
40.000 m² rooftop surface.
Charging stations for electrical cars are located near the parking spaces. They are available for both staff and visitors. The rows of LED-lighting in the corridors will be fitted with presence detection sensors, which prevent unnecessary and wasted burning hours. The entire building is fitted with LED-lighting. For the driving route of the trucks, SIM concrete plates (a semi-paving made specifically for heavy traffic) will be used in the form of grass concrete tiles. Inside the ecological screen, these robust tiles will also be planted with grass so they become part of the blooming grasslands on the outside of the destination.
With a rooftop surface measuring approximately 40,000 m², there is the option of providing electricity to almost 2,000 homes after the installation of solar panels.
The entrance of Ara Almelo aligns with our four brand pillars, allowing our identity to be recognizable from the outside in. Materializations and the shape of the ecological screen are reflected in the design of the entrance and elsewhere.
We offer end-users the possibility of aligning the remaining office and flex spaces with the total design.
Capella® will be pre-installed
at Ara Almelo.
In the times we live in, technology serves as the breeding ground for continuous development. It’s important to stay socially and economically relevant, with a focus on man and nature. In the logistical world, costs associated with this “technological breeding ground” have always been billed to the end-user and are frequently only paid after development has been completed, which is far from ideal. Capella® has been able to turn this process around completely, and offers end-users a technological breeding ground that has been developed for the logistical world of today. Capella® is a one-stop solution that makes led-lighting and integrated network and data transport possible via an innovative light and data traffic system, based on the ultra-thin Polymer Optical Fiber (POF) cable.
Capella® is the technological breeding ground developed for the logistical world of today.
Capella® is an initiative by Stellar Development and has been made possible through a unique connection between innovative specialists, TRILUX, FiberUnlimited, ChessWise, and Inotec.
Ara Almelo fence and loading docks
Freeways
A35 – only 1 minute away
A1 – only 6 minutes away
Minutes by car
CTT (Container Terminal Twente) – 2 minutes
Twente Airport – 15 minutes
Public transport
NS Almelo railway station – 16 minutes
(from stop Almelo Business Park Twente)
Bus stop 200 meters away