'This is our biggest renovation project ever'

Renovation and sustainability of 432 social rental apartments

In Capelle aan den IJssel, BAM Wonen is renovating and making more sustainable 432 social rental apartments owned by Havensteder housing corporation on the Bongerd, Dotterlei, Wilgenhoek and Wingerd.

BAM Wonen is one of the housing corporation's four sustainability partners. With these partners, housing corporation Havensteder aims to make 5,400 social housing units in Rotterdam and the surrounding area more sustainable, comfortable and future-proof in the coming years. The 21 apartment complexes in the Flora neighborhood date from the 1960s and were in need of sustainability as part of the improvement approach. The complexes include different housing types with 3-, 4-, 5- and even 6-room apartments. After the summer of 2025, all homes will be prepared for a natural gas-free future. Project leader Jacco Hordijk: "To achieve that, the homes will be completely insulated. This involves wall insulation in the existing cavity, additional insulation of the roof and insulation of the ceilings in the storerooms and garages. We will also remove the existing plastic polyester siding and install new aluminum siding. We will keep the plastic window frames, but provide them with new HR++ glass. We also install HR++ glass in the wooden balcony frames, and here we also replace the hinged parts."

At the rear, the apartments have a slightly wider balcony. A style will be installed in the balcony frame to split the frame in two, making the glass a little easier to replace in case of any damage. Finally, the panels under the wooden frames will be replaced and insulated. 

'In the homes, we are thoroughly addressing the installations'

A large part of the sustainability project is preparing for a natural gas-free future. Hordijk: "In the homes themselves we are therefore thoroughly tackling the installations. Radiators and all piping will be replaced and all 432 boilers will be removed. Soon, delivery sets in every home will provide both the water for the radiators and the hot tap water. Initially, the delivery set will still be connected to the gas boiler located in the central room. In the future, all homes can be connected to a heat network at once without having to go back inside the residents' homes to do so."

Finally, there will be new individual, mechanical CO2-controlled ventilation in the apartments instead of the old, collective system. Half of the homes will also get a new kitchen and/or bathroom. In addition, BAM Wonen is providing maintenance work, such as cleaning the facades and grouting repairs. "The balcony railings will be removed, factory fitted with a new paint system and new sheeting, and put back in place."

Reuse of materials

To increase safety in the neighborhood, the 72 porches are also being addressed. In the old situation, the recessed window frames created a niche in front of the porches. Here BAM Wonen is installing new window frames on the outside and new post boxes. The entrances and stairwells will have new lighting and tiling. The glass in the stairwells will also be replaced with HR++ safety glass, allowing the existing fencing in front of the windows to be removed. Solar panels will be installed on the roofs of the buildings, with four available for each residence.

All in all, a sizable project, carried out in several construction phases. Hordijk: "This is our biggest renovation project ever. At BAM Wonen, we are putting maximum effort into sustainability and high-quality reuse of materials. For example, this project will feature a slatted wall of circularly harvested wood of various thicknesses and sizes in the entrances. This gives a beautiful look to the porches. The balcony doors we remove from the houses will be reused by a social workshop for other purposes. The fine cooperation with Havensteder and our co-makers makes this a fun project for our team."