The processes do not form a chain, but a string

Intensive collaboration: concurrent and collaborative engineering

A new school is springing up in Rotterdam for vmbo students with above-average sports talent. Here they can attend classes with space for their training schedules and official competitions. As innovative as the design of the school is the way it is being built. Concurrent and collaborative engineering is the term; true collaboration is the way it works.

The Thorbecke Talent School on the Rodaristraat in Rotterdam is being built by integrated contractor and installation company BINX. The new building consists of several two-story building volumes. One building volume has an additional half floor. The gross floor area is 4,082 m2.

Construction and installation united

"Mechanical installations, electrical installations and construction are integrated with us," says Lennart Koek, director of BINX Smartility. "They are digitally designed, prepared and executed simultaneously in BIM360. Only when the digital process no longer shows any clashes do we realize the construction in reality. This approach leads to seven weeks of execution time savings, reduced time-related costs and higher quality." 

Involvement

The digital design and construction process does not remain within the walls of BINX and architect RoosRos. Client Stichting Boor and the school board can also plug into BIM360 and closely follow all developments. This ensures togetherness, reduced failure costs and effective construction meetings. The involvement of local residents is arranged through an interactive website, which shows exactly what is about to happen.

ClickBrick

The facades are constructed using the ClickBrick masonry system. Within this circular construction system, the bricks are stacked on top of each other without mortar. A metal click system fastens the bricks together. "The lack of mortar makes the system environmentally friendly," says Roland van Drunen, Construction team leader and responsible for this project. "However, big gains are made when the building is demolished or moved. The bricks are then detachable and reusable." For the Thorbecke Talent School, the ClickBricks have been playfully applied with subtle differences in color and depth.

Pluggable install

The installations are pluggable. Whereas installations in the traditional way enter the building via cables and are then connected to the relevant installations with switches, cords and sockets, this is now done with one wide flat cable that is snapped onto the cable tray. The cables, equipped with connectors, function as entry connectors. In the building, users now have a simple plug-in system for their installations. "This is where the big gain is in the operation of the building," notes Van Drunen. "Changing or integrating installations has never been easier or more cost-effective." 

The software application used by BINX - open space - in which anyone can check at any time of the day that what is created is correct with the design, offers many advantages. "The total approach of chosen materials and installations, digital design and construction and finally physical construction we summarize under the term 'Concurrent and collaborative engineering.' The processes do not form a chain, but a string, with the fibers intertwined from start to finish for the strongest whole. That should appeal to top athletes-to-be as well."