Van Happen Containers unveils energy-generating facade

Press release –

Unique step in the energy transition - A remarkable and beautifully designed decoration will appear on the facade of the Van Happen Containers head office at the GDC Acht Goods Distribution Center. GDC Acht, like many industrial estates, is a collection of logistics halls with the same appearance. In addition, the image quality plan stipulates that the color of the buildings must be RAL 9007 gray.

To liven this up and promote Van Happen's core values, Solarix developed an eye-catching facade with coloured solar panels and circular mounting system, using the designs of their Dot collection as a starting point. The idea has been developed into a 163 m2 solar facade, where arrows made of solar panels visualize the collection and sorting of waste at Van Happen.

What is unique about this design is that, in addition to the coloured glass-glass solar panels, the very first lightweight, circular solar panels with colour have also been developed for this purpose. Solarix has joined forces with the company Solarge to develop these panels. This manufacturer's mission is to make the panels lightweight so that they can be used on many more square meters than conventional panels. The unique collaboration between the two Dutch companies will be the prelude to a transition of the built environment and the application of the facade as an energy generator.

Solar design contributes to a more lively street scene, especially on business premises. The corrugated sheet cladding at Van Happen's building presented a challenge for mounting solar panels. For this project, Solarix, together with the installation company Kuijpers, researched the possibilities and put together a suitable mounting system. The knowledge acquired creates many opportunities for similar buildings on industrial estates that have to tackle a sustainability challenge. With these arguments, an environmental permit was obtained and, partly with the support of Brabant geeft Energie from the Province of North Brabant, the first lightweight copies were coloured. With the interest and help of the subsidy provider, Van Happen Containers was able to embellish its facade and contribute to fossil-free energy generation. The design therefore symbolizes the sorting and separation of the mixed waste flow that enters and the smaller raw material flows that leave the site on the way to circular use.

Speaking of circular, Solarix-Solarge solar panels already have a much lower CO2 footprint, are manufactured with at least 40% recycled plastic and are fully recyclable thanks to the unique layer principle. In this way, not only the design but also reality will match the activities required for the circular economy. And that is what we are working on together.