Three commercial buildings on Hilversum Canal

Constructed of robust, partially circular concrete

On the Hilversum Canal, the first activities are currently visible for the construction of three multi-company buildings. Because concrete mortar was made on this same site for half a century, the choice of material for the new building was quickly made. Robust concrete, of course.

Five parties stood at the cradle of the project. Client 4e Haven, ID Bedrijfsmakelaars, Selexion Group bv, H and E architects and Hercuton bent over a year on the design. The parties already knew each other from previous projects, which ensured a smooth preliminary process. Because of the tapering plot with water on two sides, three building volumes were chosen. Building A has 2,530 m² over four floors, Building B 1,810 m² over three floors and Building C consists of 1,934 m² over two floors. 

Complex concrete construction

The complexity of the first building presented the team with the most challenges. "Here we had to deal with roof terraces, staggered facades and sloping facades," says Jack van den Broek, Hercuton's commercial manager. "In addition, the space for a construction site was lacking. Where could we place a crane? How could the transports be arranged? And how could the construction process best be phased? Together with the structural engineer, architectural draftsman and calculator, we came up with the solutions. For example, the crane - about 150 tons - was placed on the foundation of Building B."

Transverse anchors

Now the foundation was a challenge in itself. The separation between land and water had been reinforced with sheet pile walls, whose anchors ran right through the building ground. "So piling was not an option," explains Sander Robbe, Hercuton's plan developer. "The sheet pile walls and anchors first had to be disconnected from the old concrete structure and then connected to the new structure. The new foundation consists of a half-meter thick concrete slab under all the buildings."

Circular concrete

Of particular note is the type of concrete chosen. The raw materials for the cast-in-place ground floor floors come from donor buildings. "For this we work together with New Horizon," says Van den Broek. "This company dismantles buildings and reduces the materials to their essence. The residual streams - in the case of concrete we are talking about cement, sand, gravel and aggregates - are used for 'new' building materials. In doing so, they follow a circular process in which the materials are not downgraded in any way. You can create new buildings with them again!"

The impact of corona

All factors combined have resulted in a beautiful design, balanced with the past, the surroundings and contemporary insights. "Corona did play tricks on us. Prices kept rising and many products were scarce or unavailable. Fortunately, all parties were involved in the design from the first moment. If we went over budget, everyone was willing to shift gears. That joint effort made this design feasible."