Platform on new construction, renovation, restoration and transformation
The four Mercurius flats in Purmerend have been given a new look. All flats received a fresh accent color representing the seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter. Thus a challenge arose when a fifth apartment was added to the renovation project. What color should be used here next? It became a stylish mix of all seasonal colors together.
Housing corporation Intermaris took a careful approach when tendering for the renovation of the Mercurius flats. The total renovation had to provide energy savings. To this end, window frames and fenestration were replaced, end walls were insulated, gas hobs were replaced with electric hobs and gas connections were removed. The district heating delivery sets were moved from the kitchen to the hall. But Intermaris also wanted attention for its residents. It was Hemubo Almere's challenge to carry out the renovation with minimal inconvenience from noise, vibrations, dust and dirt.
Lean planning
It was clear that the asbestos removal and replacement of the window frames and facade elements would cause the greatest inconvenience to the residents. So Hemubo investigated the fastest way to carry out these interventions. "We first moved the district heating units from the kitchen to the hall per strand," explains Rutger van Helbergen, commercial director of Hemubo Bouw. "Then we tackled the front and back facades in four days. On day 1 the asbestos was removed on the front, on day 2 the façade elements were installed here, and on days 3 and 4 the same was done on the rear. On the day the front and rear facades were removed, we boarded up the facades with a wooden fabric partition, partially fitted with Plexiglas to preserve the light in the house. Work on the roof, end walls, stairwell and entrance took place in separate construction streams."
Plant House and Garden Room
The façade work on the end walls could not be carried out without damaging the neighborhood gardens. But Hemubo found a solution for that, too. Van Helbergen: "We took photos of the gardens and transferred the plants to a plant shelter. That way, after removing the scaffolding, we were able to put all the plants back the same way." To offer residents a place where they could escape the nuisance, Hemubo set up the "Garden Room" in the courtyard. An atmospheric living room for meetings, consultation hours and workshops in electric cooking, among other things. This initiative was so enthusiastically received that it was continued after completion.
Resident communication
And then there was the usual resident communication. To strike the right tone in the newsletters, Hemubo first researched the composition of the residents. Then it kept residents meticulously informed of everything that was coming their way. A resident supervisor supplemented the information during personal conversations.
Lifetime
With a larger and brighter entrance, the apartments were better matched to the average age of residents. Ramps and automatic door closers improved accessibility for mobility scooters. A separate room was also set up for this purpose.
"It was a radical renovation," concludes René Groot, calculator/work planner at Hemubo Bouw. "The Mercurius flats are now lifespan-proof, energy-efficient and comfortable. Structurally, we were in familiar territory. The social aspect was a challenge. But with an average resident satisfaction rating of 8.2 and many positive comments, we scored a thick enough for this too."
