Simonshaven, Rotterdam | Less energy consumption, more comfort

As a partner of Willems Vastgoedonderhoud, Alhra Glas is glazing the 490 porch houses of project Simonshaven in Rotterdam-Zuid. The glass specialist is thus making an important contribution to making the homes more sustainable.

"We contribute to the result-oriented cooperation between Willems Vastgoedonderhoud and housing corporation Woonstad," says Alhra Glas' Business Manager René Caumo. "We think along from the preliminary stage in market-based solutions, which achieve the intended result." 

Two options
Willems Vastgoedonderhoud approached Alhra Glas in December 2017 for project Simonshaven, asking: what energy leap is maximally feasible at a realistic cost? Alhra Glas investigated the possibilities and came up with two options. Woonstad chose the option with HR++ glass. For the other option, with triple glazing, the window frames had to be significantly modified. The costs for this option were much higher.

HR++ glass and ventilation grilles
In total, Alhra Glas is replacing no less than 6,700 square meters of old insulation glass with HR++ glass. This involves all fixed glazing, plus some of the rotating parts. Caumo: "A large part of the rotating parts, both windows and doors, will be completely replaced by Willems Vastgoedonderhoud. The rotating parts that remain in place, we will provide new glazing." Alhra Glas is also installing 1,996 self-regulating ventilation grilles. Since two residential blocks are located right next to an industrial area, these will additionally be fitted with sound-damping grilles.

Effective train
The 490 homes in Project Simonshaven are divided into 12 blocks of porch homes. Each porch includes six homes. Since work began in June of this year, Alhra Glas fitters have been taking care of three homes per day. Caumo: "For each house, we remove all the old windows, clean the rebates and then put in the new glass and grids. For each porch, we first take out the upper homes and then go down to the lower floors. We do this with nine fitters, who together form an effective train of work. Only with the right mechanics is an express train possible, without the right people it becomes a stopping train." 

To perfection
Logistically, Alhra Glas prepares everything to perfection. "With three homes per day, materials have to be brought to the construction site constantly," Caumo says. "However, that construction site is very limited. We are dealing with narrow streets, where residents also just want to park their cars. We want to inconvenience the residents as little as possible and as briefly as possible. That's why we have the windows put on the trestles from the factory in a special way, so that a Manitou can pick them up immediately upon arrival at the construction site and place them on the scaffolding." 

The right mechanics
Even in the homes, Alhra Glas's fitters take the residents into account as much as possible. Caumo: "We look carefully in advance at which residents we will be doing the work for. This neighborhood is home to a multicultural group of residents. Our guys end up in a different culture every day, with different expectations. This requires them to constantly switch gears. This is not for everyone. It's up to us to put the right guys on this job so that they and the residents feel comfortable."

Half of the work has already been completed.

One team, one task, one mission
Alhra Glas has now glazed over three hundred homes. With more than half of the work behind him, Caumo looks back with satisfaction: "Together with Willems Vastgoedonderhoud and the other partners, we really are one team. We work well together and help each other. Our common motto is: one team, one task, one mission. That benefits progress and the atmosphere at work. Besides everything, we are also super proud that, as a Rotterdam company for a Rotterdam client, we may contribute to this wonderful project 'at Zuid'."