Mott MacDonald studied all sustainable approaches to assess and enhance the sustainability of the masterplan for the Municipality of Oisterwijk. Our project plan was based on the INDUS process we specifically developed to integrate sustainability into different project phases, such as planning or design. The main objective of the study was to show concrete measures to integrate sustainability into the development of the tannery site.
As part of the first step we looked at how to define sustainability in the framework of the development and how to rate the level of sustainability. The best known evaluation methods for sustainability in the country were compared - BREEAM, GPR, GreenCalc+ and a method developed for Oisterwijk: Telos sustainability balance.
In phase two, during a workshop in collaboration with the main stakeholders, we defined the key values and objectives. We then identified opportunities and restrictions of the tannery site area and its environment with regard to sustainable approaches.
On the basis of acquired information we conducted an analysis to assess the most optimal sustainability approaches for urban development themes such as energy, buildings, ecology, water, mobility, public area and health. This analysis led to the identification of three levels for concrete sustainability approaches and measures:
- Site specific sustainability: using features that are already available (such as the nearby train station and bus stops).
- Plan specific sustainability: mostly related to present buildings, energy (including the potential for aquifer thermal energy storage) and material aspects.
- Non plan specific sustainability: comprising initiatives to anticipate on future developments (such as electric car charging points).
The most feasible approaches for a sustainable masterplan were then determined.