Case Study: Net-Zero Office Development in Amsterdam — Sustainable Luxury at the Entrance

Project Overview

Location: Zuidas business district, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Building type: 12-storey Class A office development
Green certification target: BREEAM Outstanding (final score: 92.3%)
Scope: 8 entrance door assemblies including main lobby and secondary entrances
Key requirements: EPD documentation, recycled content, Uw ≤ 1.0 W/m²K, RC3 security

Sustainability Specification Requirements

The project’s BREEAM assessor required full Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for all major facade and entrance components. For the entrance doors, this meant KINGSHIELD had to provide:

• Third-party verified EPD per EN 15804+A2
• Global Warming Potential (GWP) per functional unit (one door, 50-year reference service life)
• Recycled steel content percentage (minimum 30% specified)
• End-of-life recyclability rate
• FSC certification for any timber components

KINGSHIELD’s Sustainable Specification Response

KINGSHIELD supplied doors from its EcoShield range, manufactured with 42% recycled steel content (Electric Arc Furnace route) and FSC-certified oak veneer. The verified EPD showed:

• GWP A1-A3: 285 kg CO₂e per door (43% below industry average for equivalent performance class)
• End-of-life recyclability: 94% by mass
• Uw: 0.96 W/m²K (exceeding the ≤ 1.0 requirement)

Design: Sustainable Doesn’t Mean Austere

The client was firm: sustainability credentials must not compromise design quality. The lobby entrance doors were specified with:

• Brushed natural aluminum finish (anodized, no paint)
• Full-height glazing panels in triple low-e glass
• Automated opening with motion sensors (accessible design compliance)
• Integrated planters in the door surround using recycled composite material

Outcome

The entrance door specification contributed positively to four BREEAM credits: Materials (Mat 01), Energy (Ene 02 for reduced infiltration), Health & Wellbeing (Hea 09 for indoor air quality sealing), and Innovation. The building achieved its BREEAM Outstanding target, and the entrance has been cited in BREEAM’s case study library as an example of sustainable specification without aesthetic compromise.