Maasstede's Brazilian dream
Developer Maasstede is a major player in The Hague when it comes to listed buildings. The recently completed Lange Voorhout 44, the former Restaurant Royal, is already the eighth property in that area. But also read the story about teak plantation Soroteca in Brazil with which Maasstede is set to conquer the European market.
DATE
17 July 2022
TEXT
Casper Postmaa
IMAGE
Fleur Beemster (portrait) and PR
Maasstede's Brazilian dream
Developer Maasstede is a major player in The Hague when it comes to listed buildings. The recently completed Lange Voorhout 44, the former Restaurant Royal, is already the eighth property in that area. But also read the story about teak plantation Soroteca in Brazil with which Maasstede is set to conquer the European market.
Lange Voorhout 44 was always one of the chicest addresses in The Hague: Constantijn Huygens lived there, members of the Supreme Court and noblemen, and from its beginnings from 1918-1985, the exclusive restaurant Royal welcomed its equally distinguished guests, including the royal family.
The beautiful hall on the beletage on the Voorhout.
For a series of post-war cabinets, Royal was the most popular place to dine after state business was done. The view there was and is unique; because the bell floor where the largest rooms are located is just slightly higher than the street, you look up and over the Voorhout.
Robert and Tim Nederlof in front of 44 Lange Voorhout.
Developer Maasstede decided to tackle the property rigorously with a total renovation and preservation project, which resulted in a monument that meets all the requirements of our time. "This means that all the valuable elements have been retained, but in such a way that after our approach, the property is suitable for modern business operations," explains Rob Nederlof (1946), director-owner of Maasstede.
Sustainability
"So the best materials, high-tech installations - with a lift you park in the underground garage - but also the highest achievable degree of sustainability," adds his son Robert (1985), who, like his brother Tim (1988), is also active in the company. "Even in a historical building like this, we aim for energy label A. We would also do well with B in such a top monument, but A is always our ambition.
Challenges
The challenges lie in the strict laws and regulations governing monuments and the architectural value of the building. In a period room, it is quite a task to conceal insulation and energy-efficient heating and cooling in the existing panelling. The windows contain the very best insulating glass, specially developed for monuments.""We do this not only here, but in all the properties we own on and around Lange Voorhout," Tim Nederlof notes. "There are now eight in total."
Lange Voorhout entrance.
The good news is that the beautiful bell floor and underlying basement are still available for rent. Rob Nederlof himself has taken the ultimate consequence of the transformation he initiated. He has moved into a generous penthouse on the upper floors. At last Lange Voorhout 44 has a new lord.
Soroteca
One detail of the renovation Rob Nederlof insists on explaining himself: the spacious teak terrace at the back. Actually, he argues, the foundation for this was laid 20 years ago. That remark refers to the subsidiary Maasstede then started in Brazil, 'Soroteca', an ecological plantation for teak in the state of Mato Grosso.
'The teak plantation in Brazil was a long-term strategic decision'
The decision to do forestry in Brazil, combined with project development in the Netherlands, was a long-term strategic decision, because teak trees need 20 years before the core, which contains the best and hardest wood, is suitable for use. It marks the confidence Maasstede had in the company from the start.
"You may start felling after just five years - intermediate felling, they call it - so that other trees have room to grow out," says Rob Nederlof, who knows that not everyone has fond memories of forestry in the tropics.
'Every tree at Soroteca we planted ourselves, we have our own factory and 60 staff'
"Twenty years ago, there were quite a few cowboys trying to market teak with all sorts of suspect funds, paying out high fees to themselves and then going bankrupt. So we are not one of them. Every link in our process is solid. We are not a mutual fund. We planted every tree ourselves, we have our own factory and sixty staff. We manage everything ourselves from the Netherlands and travel to Brasil very regularly. We are now intensively working on the European market."
Maasstede
This is why Maasstede is showing for the first time this year at the 'Salone del Mobile' in Milan, the world's most important design furniture fair. With Soroteca, Maasstede is so far along in cultivating teak - some of it is already being used in its own projects - that the first batches of mature teak trees are ready for the end user.
Ecologically produced teak is the future, according to Maasstede.
"Of Soroteca's acreage, 3,500 hectares are now planted with teak trees, but this will be expanded to 5,000 hectares in the near future, then we will be among the top five largest teak plantations in the world, " says Rob Nederlof, who is convinced that the market favours high-quality sustainable timber. "The measures taken by national governments against illegally logged timber are getting stricter. Traders from Myanmar, Indonesia and Africa are increasingly unable to export their products.
FSC label
Our timber has the FSC seal of approval. Among other things, FSC sees to it that the legal Brazilian duty is met that about 40% of the land is planted with nature reserves. In this way, farmland is converted back to its original vegetation. So nature is being restored, which is how we see more and more exotic animals returning, including even the occasional jaguar. Architects and designers want the very best teak, the same goes for manufacturers of top furniture, it's not for nothing that we go to Milan."
Soroteca wood can be used wherever high quality is required, as here in this outdoor pool.
After that long start-up period, Maasstede/Soroteca is ready to enter the European market. A decision on the construction of a hall in the Netherlands from which the distribution of Brazilian timber will take place will be taken shortly. The gentlemen are convinced that Soroteca will contribute to Maasstede's reputation as a company that treats the environment responsibly: in other words, a company that is ready for the future.
Project Prism
Another example is the Prisma logistics project on the A12 motorway in Bleiswijk. Maasstede started developing this business park on 42 hectares of agricultural land years ago, projects ranging from garage boxes to distribution centres of 50,000 m2. Meanwhile, many logistics projects have been successfully completed and Maasstede is currently developing a Burger King, a Starbucks and six sustainable industrial buildings including office space on the site, of which one industrial building of 5,500 m2 is still available.
Prepared for the future
Robert Nederlof: "There is indeed no gas connection, the operation is energy-neutral. This is not yet common in the sector, we do, to be prepared for the future. We see that logistics companies are also finding this increasingly important. The challenge in making logistics buildings sustainable lies in the use of the premises; because of loading and unloading, they are often open. With automatic overhead doors, LED lighting, solar panels, heat pumps, but also with simpler solutions like white roofing, there is a lot to be gained."
text Casper Postmaa image Fleur Beemster (portrait) and PR
Lange Voorhout 44 was always one of the chicest addresses in The Hague: Constantijn Huygens lived there, members of the Supreme Court and noblemen, and from its beginnings from 1918-1985, the exclusive restaurant Royal welcomed its equally distinguished guests, including the royal family.
The beautiful hall on the beletage on the Voorhout.
For a series of post-war cabinets, Royal was the most popular place to dine after state business was done. The view there was and is unique; because the bell floor where the largest rooms are located is just slightly higher than the street, you look up and over the Voorhout.
Robert and Tim Nederlof in front of 44 Lange Voorhout.
Developer Maasstede decided to tackle the property rigorously with a total renovation and preservation project, which resulted in a monument that meets all the requirements of our time. "This means that all the valuable elements have been retained, but in such a way that after our approach, the property is suitable for modern business operations," explains Rob Nederlof (1946), director-owner of Maasstede.
Sustainability
"So the best materials, high-tech installations - with a lift you park in the underground garage - but also the highest achievable degree of sustainability," adds his son Robert (1985), who, like his brother Tim (1988), is also active in the company. "Even in a historical building like this, we aim for energy label A. We would also do well with B in such a top monument, but A is always our ambition.
Challenges
The challenges lie in the strict laws and regulations governing monuments and the architectural value of the building. In a period room, it is quite a task to conceal insulation and energy-efficient heating and cooling in the existing panelling. The windows contain the very best insulating glass, specially developed for monuments.""We do this not only here, but in all the properties we own on and around Lange Voorhout," Tim Nederlof notes. "There are now eight in total."
Lange Voorhout entrance.
The good news is that the beautiful bell floor and underlying basement are still available for rent. Rob Nederlof himself has taken the ultimate consequence of the transformation he initiated. He has moved into a generous penthouse on the upper floors. At last Lange Voorhout 44 has a new lord.
Soroteca
One detail of the renovation Rob Nederlof insists on explaining himself: the spacious teak terrace at the back. Actually, he argues, the foundation for this was laid 20 years ago. That remark refers to the subsidiary Maasstede then started in Brazil, 'Soroteca', an ecological plantation for teak in the state of Mato Grosso.
'The teak plantation in Brazil was a long-term strategic decision'
The decision to do forestry in Brazil, combined with project development in the Netherlands, was a long-term strategic decision, because teak trees need 20 years before the core, which contains the best and hardest wood, is suitable for use. It marks the confidence Maasstede had in the company from the start.
"You may start felling after just five years - intermediate felling, they call it - so that other trees have room to grow out," says Rob Nederlof, who knows that not everyone has fond memories of forestry in the tropics.
'Every tree at Soroteca we planted ourselves, we have our own factory and 60 staff'
"Twenty years ago, there were quite a few cowboys trying to market teak with all sorts of suspect funds, paying out high fees to themselves and then going bankrupt. So we are not one of them. Every link in our process is solid. We are not a mutual fund. We planted every tree ourselves, we have our own factory and sixty staff. We manage everything ourselves from the Netherlands and travel to Brasil very regularly. We are now intensively working on the European market."
Maasstede
This is why Maasstede is showing for the first time this year at the 'Salone del Mobile' in Milan, the world's most important design furniture fair. With Soroteca, Maasstede is so far along in cultivating teak - some of it is already being used in its own projects - that the first batches of mature teak trees are ready for the end user.
Ecologically produced teak is the future, according to Maasstede.
"Of Soroteca's acreage, 3,500 hectares are now planted with teak trees, but this will be expanded to 5,000 hectares in the near future, then we will be among the top five largest teak plantations in the world, " says Rob Nederlof, who is convinced that the market favours high-quality sustainable timber. "The measures taken by national governments against illegally logged timber are getting stricter. Traders from Myanmar, Indonesia and Africa are increasingly unable to export their products.
FSC label
Our timber has the FSC seal of approval. Among other things, FSC sees to it that the legal Brazilian duty is met that about 40% of the land is planted with nature reserves. In this way, farmland is converted back to its original vegetation. So nature is being restored, which is how we see more and more exotic animals returning, including even the occasional jaguar. Architects and designers want the very best teak, the same goes for manufacturers of top furniture, it's not for nothing that we go to Milan."
Soroteca wood can be used wherever high quality is required, as here in this outdoor pool.
After that long start-up period, Maasstede/Soroteca is ready to enter the European market. A decision on the construction of a hall in the Netherlands from which the distribution of Brazilian timber will take place will be taken shortly. The gentlemen are convinced that Soroteca will contribute to Maasstede's reputation as a company that treats the environment responsibly: in other words, a company that is ready for the future.
Project Prism
Another example is the Prisma logistics project on the A12 motorway in Bleiswijk. Maasstede started developing this business park on 42 hectares of agricultural land years ago, projects ranging from garage boxes to distribution centres of 50,000 m2. Meanwhile, many logistics projects have been successfully completed and Maasstede is currently developing a Burger King, a Starbucks and six sustainable industrial buildings including office space on the site, of which one industrial building of 5,500 m2 is still available.
Prepared for the future
Robert Nederlof: "There is indeed no gas connection, the operation is energy-neutral. This is not yet common in the sector, we do, to be prepared for the future. We see that logistics companies are also finding this increasingly important. The challenge in making logistics buildings sustainable lies in the use of the premises; because of loading and unloading, they are often open. With automatic overhead doors, LED lighting, solar panels, heat pumps, but also with simpler solutions like white roofing, there is a lot to be gained."
