Building smart with precast concrete stairs and landings

Groundbreaking concrete for North Hook

NoordBaak will be a modern, lively living and working complex in Amsterdam-North, surrounded on both sides by water. A popular place to live and enjoy bustling Amsterdam. A key ingredient? Precast concrete from Steenhuis Beton BV. "We always look at how we can use our expertise to build efficiently, sustainably and affordably," says Aeilco Holtkamp, sales manager at Steenhuis Beton. For NoordBaak, the company supplied dozens of stairs and landings, largely produced with its trusted standard molds.

Since 1913, Steenhuis Beton has been a pioneer in the production of precast concrete elements. The Uithuizermeeden-based company has specialized in stairs and landings, with a focus on standard solutions. "Thanks to our hundreds of standard molds, we switch quickly and provide customization at lower cost," Holtkamp explains. "This flexibility is essential in many new construction projects, of which NoordBaak is a fine example." 

In addition to efficiency, Steenhuis is committed to sustainability. By reusing molds and optimizing the production process, the company minimizes waste and contributes to a circular construction economy.  

Innovative contribution 

For NoordBaak, Steenhuis Beton worked with main contractor Kondor Wessels Amsterdam, with whom the company has had a strong relationship for many years. "We know each other well and that helps with a project of this size," says Holtkamp. The collaboration in this project began with a thorough analysis of the design to see if it was possible to use as many standard molds as possible. "The original plans included a uniquely designed staircase. We advised the general contractor on this. That worked out well: we applied our expertise and were able to execute the unique staircase more cheaply by using a standard solution." 

"North Hook is a nice, big project," Holtkamp continued. "We also installed a set of wokkel stairs - two straight stairs that run crosswise up a tower." Another innovative contribution from Steenhuis Beton is the use of cast-on landings. In two stairwells, the wall was too light to support a normal intermediate platform. Steenhuis' solution? Platforms poured directly onto the stairs, which guarantees both stability and a beautiful end result.  

Smart precast concrete solutions for the future 

Precast concrete plays a key role in making the construction industry more sustainable, and projects such as NoordBaak demonstrate how that works in practice. "By using standard solutions, we reduce not only costs but also environmental impact," Holtkamp says. "Moreover, precast concrete offers flexibility and precision, which is essential in today's increasingly complex construction projects." Steenhuis Concrete is also looking to the future. Innovations in concrete production, such as using recycled materials and reducing CO2 emissions, are part of its strategy. "We are working on a special pilot project: making concrete stairs from a new binder, called INVIE, which reduces CO2 emissions by 80%. We are developing it in our own laboratory." He concludes, "As an industry, it is our responsibility to look at the future of concrete. The first results are promising and we expect that the new binder can completely replace cement in the future. In short: a nice step in the right direction for the sustainability of the construction sector!"