Platform on new construction, renovation, restoration and transformation
With Katendrecht a hot spot in Rotterdam, the area around it is in full development. It will be beautiful, there in the Rijnhaven district. Stebru Bouw BV from Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel is building De Groene Kaap, in the entrance area of Katendrecht. The project involves 450 new-build rental and owner-occupied homes, spread across four harbor buildings with five towers that are connected to each other. Roof gardens, courtyards and walkways link everything together.
The design comes from the mind of architect Koos Kok, of architecture firm MASSA. The project is a nod from Rotterdam to the mythical "hanging gardens. De Groene Kaap will be a home for people of all ages and lifestyles. In addition to spacious family homes, apartments with 50 m2 provided. A unique feature is the integration of all kinds of greenery within the connected housing types. The project also includes general space, which includes stores. A large parking basement was chosen as the parking solution, which will be built by BudoBouw BV of Zwolle. Denis van Wijk, director of BudoBouw B.V. and Jeroen van Ostaijen, company manager, together explain the work.
Stately cranes against a backdrop of setting sun.
Covered parking, out of sight
"It's a special project," Van Ostaijen opens the conversation. "Because of the height differences between gardens and residential floors, a very spatial effect is created. The combination of living and shopping is cleverly conceived, and the local infrastructure is designed to handle the fast supply and removal of people and goods." Stebru himself makes a comparison with London's Docklands and New York's Meatpacking District. Van Wijk adds: "The combination of a piece of port history with the industrial character of the area makes the whole thing special. The choice of a parking basement is therefore logical to me; it keeps the streetscape tidy."
Work on the parking basement is in full swing. "We are talking about a parking basement of about 12,500 m2. In week 50 we will pour the last part of the basement floor, then we will finally be 'out of the water,'" said Van Ostaijen. BudoBouw is working there in wetlands and that is clearly noticeable. "The foundation and floor are built traditionally, the walls of the basement are built with a wall formwork system with wet and precast columns in between. On the first floor and second floor, work is being done with a wall formwork system and traditional, wet beams, a wide slab floor and a hollow-core slab floor."
The concrete structure from the second floor up is built with a mobile tunnel formwork.
Tunnels included
The entrances to the parking basement are formed by tunnels. Van Wijk: "There is a main entrance with a combined entrance and exit tunnel, furthermore we find on the other side an entrance tunnel and an exit tunnel." So there is parking out of sight for residents, employees and shoppers. A road between the buildings provides access for work traffic, such as trucks coming to unload.
About the construction method of the tunnels, Van Ostaijen says: "We make the concrete structure (wall and floor; ed.) from the second floor with mobile tunnel formwork, segment by segment. After the mobile tunnel formwork is removed, we place precast walls via a 'letterbox system'; we lower the walls into it from above. We finish the exterior with precast sandwich panels and single-shell concrete trim panels." BudoBouw BV has work on the parking basement and tunnels until about the end of 2019.
Due to the height differences between gardens and living levels, a very spacious effect is created.
