Kruisem, Belgium – The production of Renson ‘outdoor living spaces’ has been up and running for a while, and the offices have also been bristling with life for six months or so. But there’s more to come yet: from November, an impressive inspiration park that goes by the name of ‘NOA outdoor living’ will open for business at the brand-new Renson Outdoor site in Kruisem/Nazareth (BE). ‘NOA outdoor living’ is an initiative by Renson showcasing 12 realistic garden settings, in partnership with over 30 other brands in high-end outdoor living. Visitors can expect to be immersed in the very best outdoor living has to offer.
NOA outdoor living: a unique total experience
The fact that Renson is throwing all its weight behind outdoor living shouldn’t come as a surprise, given that the latter is completely ‘in’ at the moment. But as a trendsetter in outdoor living spaces, Renson is casting its gaze far beyond patio covers. After all, outdoor living is much more than simply a product group for this Belgian family business, which also specialises in sun protection and ventilation. Outdoor living is all about the total experience, and the new site reflects exactly that in all its aspects. The concept behind the monumental building itself – which was designed by Binst Architects – is that it should serve as an ‘XXL garden pavilion’ alongside the E17 motorway. The 380-metre-long façade is covered in natural elements, such as greenery and logs. And with NOA outdoor living, Renson is also the driving force behind an impressive inspiration park, at which it has joined forces with more than 30 other high-end outdoor living brands to create a 30,000 square metres total experience.
“In NOA outdoor living, we’ve realised a unique concept that we’re extremely proud of,” the company’s CEO, Paul Renson, explains. “Visitors will get to explore 12 complete garden designs that offer a realistic picture of the endless possibilities in terms of outdoor living – and that’s all down to the fantastic cooperation between the participating brands. The result is a unique way to explore all aspects of outdoor living. After all, individuals, businesses and public authorities are all looking at the complete picture in outdoor living, and not just considering each product by itself.”
Future-proof Renson production site
With the opening of NOA outdoor living, the final phase of the new Renson site has now been completed. The production of patio covers and all associated accessories (including the parcel letter boxes by Renson’s subsidiary, eSafe) had been up and running at the site for a while. In 2021, these production lines were moved 10 kilometres down the road from Renson’s hometown of Waregem to this new habitat in Kruisem/Nazareth. The lines are controlled fully digitally, and their innovative nature is immediately evident in the daily production flows. “Standardised customisation is how we set ourselves apart,” Dieter Heyman (Renson Outdoor’s General Manager) explains. “Based on the requirements of their customers, it takes Renson distributors anywhere in the world just a single click of a mouse to submit a unique patio configuration for production at our factory.” “This production of custom products is digitally controlled from start to finish to ensure it takes place in the most standardised way possible. This is the only way in which we could make this investment in our home region. At the same time, we’re providing added value for the people employed here, as finding the right staff in this region isn’t entirely straightforward.”
From now on, all Renson outdoor products for global export will be manufactured at this new outdoor production site. This includes patio covers, carports and all associated accessories such as lighting, sliding panels, planters, benches and other design garden elements. The new production site can handle a capacity three times greater than what the old site in Waregem could produce in terms of outdoor living. Of course, there’s much more going on too behind this impressive 380-metre façade alongside the motorway. Aside from production, the site also houses a Renson test centre and training facilities, all designed by Embo Architects. Binst Architects, on the other hand, is the name behind the offices, NOA outdoor living experience centre and ‘landmark’.
Zero energy impact
From a technical perspective, too, the new site literally and figuratively ‘breathes’ nature. Behind the impressive façade, a zero energy impact project covering a total of 100,000 m² that is entirely self-sufficient in terms of water and energy consumption has been achieved, thanks to the latest technologies in healthy and comfortable living and working: ‘Creating healthy spaces’ comes to life.
No industrial wastewater is discharged into sewers or surface water from this production site. No less than 95 percent of the wastewater from the paint shop is recovered via an evaporator, so it can be used to rinse the profiles after pretreatment. The 6,700 solar panels on the roof help generate the energy required for the evaporator.
Elsewhere, the negligible ecological footprint of this site is also down to the fact that the residual heat from the muffle oven (again, in the paint shop) is reused to heat the pretreatment water. That way, barely any gas is used to heat these basins. In turn, the intelligent ‘Aorta intermediate buffer storage’ guarantees colour optimisation in the paint shop. Fewer changes of colour not only results in a better yield, but also in reduced consumption for rinsing and powder-coating.
