EMA | Cooperation fundamental in rapid realization of substructure

Speed and cooperation. That was central for Augustinus BV in the new construction of the European Medicines Agency (EMA). As partner of construction consortium EMA, Augustinus BV realized the entire substructure in just five months.

The substructure includes the lower part of the building, up to the first floor. The substructure contains a water cellar three meters deep, a transformer pit and the core pile. The poer lies just below ground level and is one large massive block 800 square meters in size and 2.5 meters thick. For the total substructure, Augustinus BV applied some 4,200 cubic meters of concrete and about 850 tons of steel.

Short construction time
Dura Vermeer, which later entered into a building consortium with Heijmans, asked Augustinus BV at an early stage as a partner for the substructure of the EMA building. The specialist in foundations and basements, among other things, had previously done work with Dura Vermeer and demonstrated its expertise in it. "What is unique about this project is the very short construction time," says co-director Niek Augustinus of Augustinus BV. "All parties involved are aware of this and act accordingly. The way in which the construction combination with the subcontractors entered into this process is unique. For example, we were already working before the price was final. That shows confidence and belief in our abilities."

Technical optimizations
Augustinus BV was closely involved in the development of the concept drawings for the substructure. This happened during scrum sessions with the building consortium and the structural engineer. During these interdisciplinary sessions, opportunities were sought to speed up the building process. Most of the optimizations concerned technical adjustments, such as the shape of the pile or accommodating height differences. By keeping the detailing as simple as possible, time was saved in the execution process.

Five months of construction
Construction of the substructure began at the end of May 2018. Superintendent Hendrik-Jan Broekman was on site every day on behalf of Augustinus BV to supervise the work. But also to quickly respond to ad hoc changes. He says: "We had until the end of October to deliver the entire substructure. We met the first deadline even before the construction period. The core pile had to be ready by then, because in mid-August the slide box for the core went up. On October 31, on schedule, we poured the final concrete."

Running perfectly
"Technically, the realization of this substructure was primarily a big project, where we had to process a lot of concrete and steel in a very short time," Broekman reflects. "We have everything we need for that. In terms of knowledge and capacity, but also in terms of equipment and materials. Think of formwork material, reinforcement and the necessary cranes and pumps." Augustine adds, "Despite the time pressure, this work went perfectly. The trust we received, as well as the close cooperation with the construction consortium and other parties, were fundamental to this."