In recent years, we worked in a targeted manner to achieve our goals. These targets were set up as a dot on the horizon and expired at the end of 2023.
Better
Internally, this pillar is the foundation for a healthy, stable company. As a project company, we need to stay alert to risks and actively manage risk and contract management. In recent years, we have made continuous improvements with regard to project and risk management, making the organisation more robust and predictable. Because these measures are embedded in the organisation, we are now able to complete complex projects successfully. That is, on schedule and within budget. On the safety front, our work culture has improved enormously and people now dare to call each other to account. Unfortunately, we have not yet succeeded in substantially reducing the number of accidents resulting in absenteeism. In general, however, we do see a clear reduction in the number of accidents with serious and permanent injuries. This can be seen as positive. We managed to reduce the number of accidents of both our own employees and subcontractors (not to zero). Nevertheless, there have been fatal accidents among subcontractors in recent years. To continue to reduce the Injury Frequency (IF) figure even further, we continue to pay attention to the risk awareness of our colleagues and improving the proactive safety culture in which we speak out and hold each other accountable. With regard to organisational quality, the total outflow has remained relatively constant in recent years. Based on analyses of unwanted staff turnover, in 2023 we took a number of specific measures aimed at employee retention. This led to a 26% relative decline in unwanted employee departures: this fell to 3.8% year-on-year in four quarters from 5.17% a year earlier. Our absenteeism rate, which rose to 5.07% after the Covid period, is about 1% lower than the Dutch average for companies larger than 100 employees (6%, CBS*). We consider this too high. Partly for this reason, Heijmans conducts employee engagement surveys on a regular basis. We have shared the results extensively within the organisation and initiated improvement actions.
* CBS figures are rolling through the third quarter of 2023.
Project case Gorinchem-Waardenburg – Smart collaboration with an eye for the environment
The complex challenges facing the Netherlands now and in the coming year call for a new approach, such as working more in partnership contracts. A good example is Heijmans’ partnership in the Graaf Reinald alliance. This is an alliance contract under which Heijmans and its partners and client, the Rivierenland Water Board, are jointly carrying out the dyke reinforcement project between Gorinchem and Waardenburg.
Heijmans is a great advocate of this type of contract. We work from a common goal and pool complementary competencies at an early stage. This shortens the lead time and boosts the predictability of the project. In addition, it is also great fun to make a project a success together in this way. And we do need that to keep our industry attractive for employees.
We put a lot of energy into optimisation in this project. Thanks to new measuring techniques and calculation methods, Heijmans can determine the safety of a dyke much more accurately. This prevents unnecessarily heavy designs. Smarter design saves time and money. Above all, it does more justice to residents, the environment and nature. You want to minimise inconvenience and create a healthy living environment, together with a safe dyke.
Smarter
We are also making great strides in the construction process itself to come up with smarter solutions, including through standardisation, industrialised processes and digital tools. In recent years, we have worked on creating digital twins as the first step in the digitalisation process. We worked on several construction projects with a high-quality BIM model. Our designers, planners and executives now work on a daily basis with the 3D geometric models and information from the BIM models to optimally coordinate, prepare and execute the projects. We also create digital twin propositions for larger maintenance contracts. In addition, we have taken several significant steps in automating and parameterising the design process. The most important development on this front is the Heijmans Woonconcept (concept houses) and Heijmans Horizon (factory-built timber-frame homes). For this purpose, we acquired an energy-neutral timber-frame housing production plant, then expanded it and opened it for business.
Project case Culemborg Parijsch – Result-focused collaboration
Culemborg’s new Parijsch housing estate has a first: in the Borg & Buiten suburb, a residential complex with 43 rental apartments has emerged, built according to the Heijmans Huismerk Apartments (HHA) concept. In this social rental product, Heijmans uses four apartment types to add variety. The floor plans on the inside of the apartments are fixed, while the shell on the outside is variable. All components come ready-made from the factory, after which Heijmans assembles them at the building site. This makes bricklaying unnecessary. In addition to faster development, this also speeds up the construction process. We explicitly opted for regular cooperation partners with whom we exchange lessons, so that we can immediately apply them in a subsequent project and work together in a result-focused way. Modular manufacturing in a production facility also reduces the nuisance around the building site for the neighbourhood.
Project case The Hague South-West – Smart social solutions
The Hague city council, housing corporation Staedion and developer Heijmans have forged a long-term strategic partnership for the transformation of the Dreven, Gaarden and Zichten neighbourhoods. This development is part of the vision to make The Hague South-West better and more liveable: taking it to the level of The Hague’s socio-economic average. This social ambition is not just a task for the city council, but also for Heijmans. That’s why Heijmans collaborates on such themes from the start, builds alliances and sets out concrete plans. After all, developing a city district is about much more than just beautiful new apartment blocks. By taking a broad view, we ensure that the neighbourhood not only improves spatially, but also socially. The aim is to create a nice neighbourhood to live, work and stay in. Mid-rental and owner-occupied homes will also be added to create a neighbourhood for all target groups. This will ensure that all local residents will have a place in the neighbourhood and that the neighbourhoods will have a more balanced mix, also in the future. This will also increase support for shops, restaurants and other amenities.
The restructuring runs until 2040. That is why we are simultaneously starting projects in Dreven, Gaarden, and Zichten, so existing residents in all three neighbourhoods can enjoy improvements and do not have to wait years for them. We have set up a project office in the centre of the neighbourhood. Here, developers and employees from Heijmans and Staedion work together on the area development. Locally anchored, close to partners and residents. And the entire plinth is full of social entrepreneurs who are committed to neighbourhood initiatives.
More sustainable
Our goal is to stop extracting resources and instead add something to the planet. The focus in this period is to achieve carbon-neutral production from 2023. A major component of direct emissions is the company’s own vehicle fleet. Therefore, from 1 January 2023, Heijmans employees can only choose lease contracts for electric passenger cars and we have shortened the current lease contracts for fossil fuel cars with yellow licence plates. This will ensure that our fleet of fossil fuel-driven cars with yellow licence plates will be emission-free by the end of 2025. We have also set up an intensive investment programme to make company vehicles, machinery and equipment emission-free. Heijmans Property Development now has a stricter ambition for the energy performance of the homes it develops. As a result, emissions will continue to fall in the coming years. We are now considering follow-up steps in the area of recycling reusable materials such as pallets and crates. And we have launched several circular projects. For example, for the concrete shells of the Heijmans Woonconcept homes, we used 48% concrete granulate as a gravel substitute, and at Non-residential we used an innovative circular concrete mix in the renovation of Rabobank’s headquarters in Utrecht. Here, we used secondary sand and gravel, so 80% of all raw materials have a secondary origin. We have also taken steps in the field of nature-inclusive and climate-adaptive construction in recent years. Since 2018, Heijmans has been working intensively with NL Greenlabel to create a demonstrably sustainable living and working environment in our area developments. In addition, we have applied several new initiatives for climate adaptation and biodiversity.
Project case Rotterdam Hart van Zuid – Cooling with green and water
The Hart van Zuid urban renewal project in Rotterdam is a good example of circular water management as part of climate-adaptive building in a public-private partnership. The neighbourhood around the Zuidplein traffic junction and the Ahoy event location is known as a ‘petrified’ area. In other words, there is a lack of green spaces, which means that during hot, dry summers it can be up to 5 ºC warmer than elsewhere in the city.
Hart van Zuid is an extensive, long-term regeneration project. Property Development, Non-residential, Infra and Residential building have all been involved in the area development from its inception in 2016. We are applying innovative solutions for circular water use in Hart van Zuid. For instance, we have built a so-called urban water buffer (measuring 120 x 6 x 1 metres), in which around 20 million litres of rainwater can be stored. That rainwater is collected in special infiltration crates installed under the Gooilandsingel bus lanes. The rainwater is filtered via ‘green’ filtration in the newly constructed green space. Several businesses in the area take the water for such purposes as cleaning activities and flushing toilets. The water also flows into the fountains and water basins at Annie M.G. Schmidtplein, which, together with water nebulisers, provide much-needed cooling on hot days.