“BVI.EU’s experience and knowledge in setting up SME zones made for a pleasant collaboration.”
Peter Janssens – Red Cross Tienen
Spaces that can be quickly and easily transformed into blood collection rooms, meeting rooms, reception rooms,… The Red Cross Tienen team had a clear vision in mind when looking for a new base of operations. They found it in one of the SME units at Drie Tommen Green Business Park on Bietenweg in Tienen. A choice they say they are still very happy with today. Chairman Peter Janssens takes us behind the scenes of the cooperation with BVI.EU.
Red Cross Tienen offers assistance in many ways. The organisation is for example present at various aid stations, facilitates disaster operations and also offers first aid classes in schools, associations and more. Logically, this variety of services brings the necessary challenges in terms of logistics. An ideal base must not only be centrally located within the working area – there must also be room for many different activities in the same place.
“Our search took some doing, because there were a lot of needs along our side,” Peter explains. “There had to be enough space in our workplace for storage, but also meeting and teaching rooms, for example. In addition, we were also looking for a multi-purpose room where, for example, blood collections could be set up, but also receptions could be held.”
A workplace that met all their needs? The organisation found it in their modern SME unit in Drie Tommen Green Business Park. What really stands out in this SME unit, is its modularity. Rooms can easily be adapted to new settings. For example, the space downstairs can be quickly converted from a meeting setup to a reception setup. And even the garage is used as a room where the blood collection goes on, and can be converted and warmed up in just under two hours.
“Here we can grow at our own pace! Our previous location was really outdated and did not invite,” Peter says. “There was no internet connection, no modern infrastructure, and there was also no insulation in the building, which made heating and cooling our space a lot of problems. Here in Drie Tommen Green Business Park, we have modern, sustainable climate solutions and rock-solid insulation. Even during a harsh winter, the temperature in the garage does not drop below 5 degrees.”
Moreover, the newly built SME unit also provides relief due to its compliance with current regulations in areas such as fire safety and energy standards.
“Thanks to the good basic facilities that were already present, we were able to start using our SME unit quite quickly without making many adjustments.”
Peter Janssens – Red Cross Tienen
Another requirement for Red Cross Tienen? Accessibility. And Drie Tommen Green Business Park sure excels on that front too. “The central location of the park with several arterial roads and motorways nearby are a huge advantage for us,” says Peter. “We also organise a lot of our activities during the weekend or in the evening. Just because we are in the middle of a business park where not so many people are present at those times, our visitors and volunteers can easily park here. And that’s convenient!”
So how did they experience the cooperation with BVI.EU? “That ran incredibly smoothly,” says Peter with satisfaction. He followed up the entire building and moving process from start to finish. “The experience and knowledge that BVI.EU has in terms of setting up SME zones made for a pleasant process in the broad sense. We were approached professionally, and BVI.EU thought further with us about the optimal set-up of our unit – which we really appreciated”.
Red Cross Tienen is also very pleased with the speed and progress of the purchase and construction process. “Because BVI.EU worked with local subcontractors, there was always a point of contact if needed during the construction process. And after the purchase of our unit, support was provided in the form of subcontractor recommendations for interior extensions. Finally, inspections related to fire safety and energy values also went off without a hitch. Everything went by the book – so we are definitely a satisfied customer!”
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