Platform on new construction, renovation, restoration and transformation
In Delft, office building Torenhove - the third tallest tower in Delft - is being transformed into an apartment building. The tower was first stripped on the inside and outside. What now comes in its place is a luxury apartment building with stunning views of the Prinsenstad.
The transformation of the Delft office building Torenhoven is taking place in two phases. The first phase - floors 1 to 9 - has now been completed. The second phase - floors 10 to 22 - is now taking place. After that, the complex will sail on under the name ‘Delft Hoog’ and the dated office building will have made way for 106 luxury apartments.
Phase 2 is happening in occupied condition and that requires extra care from contractor The New Standard. It must separate the paths of construction personnel and the residents of the lower nine floors. With the right interventions, both parties must be able to move safely in and around the building. In addition, life must remain bearable. Therefore, demolition and drilling activities will not take place in the early morning hours. “You understand that this requires careful logistical planning,” says Marco Reidel, technical director of The New Standard.
Space is limited around the apartment building. There is room for a tower crane, but the space to set up a construction site or storage is lacking. For The New Standard, this is not an exceptional situation; it specializes in inner-city construction projects. Reidel: “As a result, we have already come up with a solution for many situations. For example, the crane is extra secured and the rotation is limited. The delivery of materials takes place exclusively just-in-time.”
Whereas building sites are usually marked by fences and screaming advertisements, the Delft Hoog building site is bordered by a friendly hedera hedge. “That was a request from the client,” Reidel confesses ruefully. “But we're keeping that in. It gives the project a face of its own and we get a lot of compliments on it!”
A tricky task proved to be coupling the 100-meter-high tower crane to the building in order to stabilize it. “For this, we placed over thirty tons of steel around the core of the building on the 13th floor,” explains Reidel. “Working at this great height, by the way, always requires great care; it is risky. Prefabricated HSB elements and glass panes catch a lot of wind. In addition, we want the apartments to be wind and watertight again as quickly as possible. Changing the old and new window frames is therefore done on a single day. On these days, traffic controllers are deployed on the first floor and the crane is equipped with additional lifting facilities.”
To keep residents and retailers informed of the progress of the work, The New Standard has installed a projection screen in the elevator lobby. On it, everyone can follow when and what kind of inconvenience they can expect. “That works extremely well. In the central hall we also organize regular meetings with drinks and snacks to exchange the important construction issues. So far, everyone seems to be able to live with it.”
