Prefab balcony systems come into their own in Grotius residential towers

With a height of 120 and 100 meters, Grotius I and Grotius II residential towers are not only important for the city entrance of The Hague, but also a valuable addition to the skyline. The buildings are characterized by their spectacular crowning, natural stone cladding and high-quality BALQOON® balcony systems from Granito Betonproducten, which take the prefabrication and legolization of construction to the highest level.

"During the 2017 construction fair, developer Provastgoed Ontwikkeling B.V. was first introduced to BALQOON®. Partner Boudewijn Hellingman and former development manager Annelot Daggelders paired us with architects Gideon Maasland and Sanne van Manen at a very early project stage, who were very enthusiastic about the practical as well as aesthetic possibilities of the precast balcony systems," says Ton Tetteroo, director of Granito Concrete Products. "In the design phase, we developed a feasible and feasible plan for the lightweight and internally draining BALQOON® balcony systems, after which BALQOON® was prescribed in the specifications. We then produced and delivered the precast balcony systems on behalf of construction combination J.P. van Eesteren/BESIX."

Perfect connection

Relatively small balconies were designed for the Grotius project, says Tetteroo. "BALQOON® comes into its own here because the available area can be used to the maximum. This is because BALQOON® is completely flat and free of upstands and gutters. The hollow balconies are also characterized by their low weight, which meant that the main supporting structure could also be made lighter." In total, Granito Concrete Products produced 549 balconies and delivered them ready-made and just-in-time to the project. "What is special is that during production, natural stone slabs were also poured onto the sides of the balconies, so that the balcony systems and façade finishing will soon continue in one aesthetically high-quality line." At the construction site, the balconies were placed on the tunnel formwork by crane and properly positioned. Then the concrete for the interior floors was poured against the balconies, also resulting in a perfect structural connection.

Following the BALQOON® balcony systems, Granito Concrete Products was also able to produce and supply the concrete stairs and concrete walls for the elevator cores of Grotius I and II.