Platform on new construction, renovation, restoration and transformation
The dynamic facade image of The Muse of Rotterdam is largely determined by the transparent facade with robust, white balconies. Blitta contributes to this with floor-to-ceiling and up to eight-meter-long aluminum sliding doors.
Blitta also realized the roof windows for the sloping part of the building, the aluminum facades in the area of the entrance and parking garage, and some two hundred sash windows for the precast elements of the east and west facades.
New system
"The aluminum sliding doors are custom made for this high-rise project," says senior account manager Tom van der Heijden of Blitta. "In close cooperation with our partner Reynaers Aluminium, we developed a new system that meets the strict requirements for wind load, among other things. In this new system, we combine a frame profile with high wind and water tightness and a sliding sash."
Prefab and semi-prefab
Blitta prefabricated almost all the sliding doors completely, in order to be able to hoist them in and assemble them directly on site. "We are currently assembling the large facades of the penthouses," says Blitta project manager Achraf Dahia. "We deliver these without glazing, so semi-prefab on site. Transporting an 8 x 3.30 meter facade with glazing involves a lot of costs. We save those costs by only applying the glazing on site."
Hoisting with suction cups
For hoisting the sliding doors, Blitta developed an innovative system with suction cups. These grip the element by the glass, eliminating the need for unsightly lifting eyes. Dahia: "Depending on the size of the façade, we apply four to six suction cups. These are connected to the crane with a lifting yoke. The lifting yoke is suitable for all sizes of sliding doors." Hoisting takes no longer than 15 minutes. Then Blitta, from the inside, finishes the facades further. For example, wind and waterproofing with foil and concealing the pipes for rainwater drainage.
With just a few more facades to assemble, Van der Heijden is already looking back on the work with satisfaction: "Thanks to the good preparation, the work on the construction site is going smoothly. This also applies to the cooperation and coordination with the contractor and fellow facade builders. Building together is trust. From that basis, we are now involved as a partner of Smit's Bouwbedrijf in the adjacent CasaNova project. This too promises to be a facade technical tour de force."
