a.s.r. real estate acquires TNO’s new building innovation lab on TU Delft’s campus

On behalf of the ASR Dutch Science Park Fund, a.s.r. real estate has purchased TNO’s new building innovation laboratory on TU Delft’s campus. This building, which has been developed by Stone22, enables TNO to conduct innovative research and to create unique test rigs for innovations in the construction sector. The decision to locate this new laboratory on TU Delft’s campus will give a further boost to cooperation and knowledge sharing between TNO and all of its partners.

The laboratory conducts applied, innovative research into lifetime extension and innovation in the areas of materials, energy, and structures. This research is carried out for clients in residential and commercial construction and infrastructure, both in the Dutch market and at international level. The new building – which replaces the current MEC-Bouwlab (Lab for Materials, Energy and Construction) on Bakemastraat – will be located on TU Delft’s campus. This will enable TNO to work efficiently and creatively with all of its partners, across a wide range of disciplines. It will ensure that optimal use is made of the available test facilities, while paving the way for the creation of unique test rigs. Construction of this building, designed by Group A from Rotterdam, is scheduled to start in April 2020.

As fund director Luc Joosten of the ASR Dutch Science Park Fund points out, “We are very excited to be cooperating with every single party involved in the development and completion of this laboratory which focuses on building innovation. Having been involved with TNO from the very beginning, we were free to choose our own partners and to shape the development in line with the wishes of the user TNO, and the fund. The ASR Dutch Science Park Fund specialises in long-term investments, so we’re delighted to include this unique building – with TNO as a tenant – in our portfolio.”

“This new accommodation will help us to achieve the following goals, together with TU Delft. We want to be a vibrant and prominent centre, a hothouse for top-of-the-bill research, and a place where the impact of our innovations can be seen and felt. We conduct research into innovative building concepts and energy-positive accommodation. This will be showcased and applied in our very own new accommodation”, says Patrick Punte, director of operations at TNO’s Buildings, Infrastructure & Maritime unit.

Nicoly Vermeulen, vice president operations at TU Delft adds that “The completion of this new laboratory will be a direct result of the cooperative venture that we entered into with the ASR Dutch Science Park Fund in 2019. TNO and TU Delft have cooperated very closely with one another for many years now. This new lab will give a further boost to the innovative ecosystem on TU Delft’s campus. An added bonus is that the presence of TNO and its new research and testing facilities all help to make TU Delft’s campus a more attractive base for other parties.”

Paul Nijhout, a partner at Stone22, points out that “Stone22 is involved in developments at Leiden BioScience Park, Amsterdam Science Park and Science Park Utrecht. We are proud that we can now add the development of TNO’s splendid research building on TU Delft’s campus to the list. We are committed to creating a sustainable, inspirational, healthy, and innovative working environment, together with users and other stakeholders.”

About the ASR Dutch Science Park Fund

The ASR Dutch Science Park Fund was founded on 1 March 2019 by a.s.r. real estate. The Fund, which invests in commercial real estate, focuses on the most attractive science parks in the Netherlands. Through these investments, a.s.r. real estate actively contributes to the development of the Dutch knowledge sector, fostering local science park ecosystems and offering companies the opportunity to be physically closer to new technology and expertise. This promotes the development of new knowledge and innovative products and services, creating valuable social returns.

The ASR Dutch Science Park Fund is the fourth sector fund founded by a.s.r. real estate, with a primary focus on institutional investors. As with the retail, residential and office funds, ASR Nederland N.V. acts as anchor investor.

More about TNO

TNO – The Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research – is an independent research organisation. We link people to knowledge, creating innovations that sustainably boost the competitiveness of companies and the well-being of society. This is the mission that we – TNO’s more than 3500-strong professional workforce – pursue every day. Working hand in glove with our partners, we tackle transitions in nine social domains that we have identified, together with our stakeholders. For more information, visit www.tno.nl

More about TU Delft’s campus

TU Delft’s campus is one of Europe’s leading R&D locations. It is a ‘next-level innovation’ campus, a vibrant ecosystem and, above all, an open community in which radical and complex innovations are developed. TU Delft’s home base houses more than 250 national and international companies, start-ups, research institutes, and field labs. They are all driven by the same goal – impact for a better society.

More about Stone22

Stone22 develops, completes, and manages sustainable, creative, and well considered real estate solutions, with the emphasis on ‘solutions’. This results in surroundings with a classic quality, places in which to live and work that are as inspiring as they are efficient.