Boland in a festive mood with completion of impressive new building
For once, everybody at party supplies importer Boland can put on the party hats themselves when they walk through the doors of their brand-new warehouse. What originally started as an idea to expand the Alphen aan den Rijn location resulted in an impressive new construction project in Bleiswijk, which will unite the various Boland branches under one roof.
“WDP went the extra mile for us, allowing us to contribute from the drawing board phase on, and we achieved a fantastic result.”
Board members Ed Saris and Robert Boland are brimming with joy when they enthusiastically talk about Boland’s new warehouse, which will be completed in February 2021. And why shouldn’t they? The new Bleiswijk building is a special accomplishment that they can be proud of.
“It has indeed become an impressive building. On a site of 22,500 m² we have built a warehouse of more than 14,000 m², with over 2,000 m² of office space. We can’t wait to move.”
Flawless partnership
This enormous surface area is also necessary, because the existing warehouse in Alphen aan den Rijn had become too small for the international importer of carnival and party supplies. The original idea to expand that location was, after much deliberation, put aside and replaced by the plan to develop a brand-new building at a strategic location a bit further down the road, namely at the Prisma Business Park in Bleiswijk. After smoothly cooperating with, among others, Bogaerds Architects & Ingenieurs, contractor Willy Naessens Nederland and WDP, Boland will receive the keys to its new kingdom this month.
“We had set our sights on a spectacularly designed staircase made of iron and glass in the entrance area. Definitely no ordinary choices, but the architect and WDP went along with them. This typifies our good relationship.”
“We’ve had a very good feeling about the cooperation with WDP from the beginning. This is their tenth WDP project in the Bleiswijk business park, so they know what they are talking about. Still, they gave us a lot of freedom to think and contribute ideas, from the basic design to the smallest details.”
“For example, we asked for a very advanced and silent climate system in the offices, we wanted trees and hedges around the site instead of fences, and we had our sights set on a spectacularly designed staircase of iron and glass in the entrance. Definitely no ordinary choice, but the architect and WDP went along with it. This typifies our good relationship with WDP.”
Choosing sustainability and well-being
“With space for 27,000 pallets, our warehouse will be the largest in Europe in this market. Not that we are necessarily striving to be the biggest, but we do want to be the best. Our focus is first and foremost on quality, and we even extend this to the furnishing of our offices. Sustainability and looking out for our employees’ well-being are high on our list of priorities. We consciously opted for a gas-free building with underfloor heating and heat pumps in the hall, and supplemented by induction units in the offices. Everything runs on electricity, for which there are solar panels on the roof. We create a lot of green spaces and inside the offices we attach great importance to everyone feeling comfortable, with large and quiet spaces and a playful interior with lots of colour, plants and art.”
Quite a job
And now? Although the building has been completed, there is still a lot to be done before Bleiswijk is truly Boland’s new home.
“Transferring all our goods from our current warehouse to the new one will be quite a job. To give you an idea: we have about 510 full trucks of party goods to move, store and book. In other words, we won’t be twiddling our thumbs anytime soon!”