One partner from steel construction to building envelope

New production facility for Colorcon in Almere, the Netherlands

The construction of the new production facility of the global company Colorcon involved (almost) all of De Kok Staalbouw's areas of expertise. The company not only produced and assembled the entire steel structure, but is also responsible for the structural shell with approximately 6,000 m² of facade cladding, 250 m² of curtain wall facades, and 2,300 m² of roof cladding and roof sandwich panels. In addition, it is realizing 2,200 m² of steel-plate-concrete floors and all windows, doors and roof penetrations. In short: the complete superstructure, excluding installations. The new building, located on the Stichtsekant industrial estate, is to become an important production hub for GMP starch products. Completion of the complete project is scheduled for 2026.

Colorcon's new production facility was designed by PM Group. Based on its design, De Kok Staalbouw did the detailed engineering. “We optimized the steel structure of approximately 700 tons and divided it into elements that are easy to produce, transport, lift and assemble,” says Bas de Groot, Project Manager at De Kok Staalbouw. “We opted for as many bolted connections as possible. But also for as large elements as possible, which reduced the number of operations on the construction site.” 

Impressive elements include, for example, the roof beams and columns of the warehouse, with a height of 20 meters and spans of no less than 47 meters, he says. “The roof beams were split in two by us, so we had to work with elements over 23 meters long and weighing 7 tons. The same was true for the columns. In total, four of these elements fit on a truck.” To complete the entire structure, 30 to 35 steel loads were required. Because space and storage options around the new building were limited, De Kok Staalbouw closely coordinated the freight layouts with the assembly sequence.

Sophisticated construction and assembly sequence

Around the building will be about 6,000 m² of facade cladding, combined with about 250 m² of curtain wall facades. “Because we provide both the facade cladding and steel construction, we were able to optimize the fastening as early as the engineering phase,” says De Groot. “The same applies to the construction and assembly sequence. For example, the new building has a Process Tower, whose facades we assembled even before the adjacent steel structure was ready. This gave us good access to everything and reduced the need for large aerial platforms.” Because De Kok Staalbouw was able to start assembling the facade cladding earlier, Colorcon benefited from a substantial planning gain. “Instead of in October, the main job with exterior cladding - excluding the openings for the machines - was ready for assembly at the end of August.”

Factory Mutual Approval

At the corners of the building, instead of typesetting, preformed sandwich panels were used, De Groot says. “Personally, I find this much nicer. Another special feature is that the curtain wall facades around the office and laboratories are fitted with ‘brise soleil’ slats that enhance the aesthetics and also contribute to sun protection. On a number of roofs, a special roof package with DensDeck roof panels, a thick layer of rock wool insulation, Sarnafil roofing and later solar panels was chosen, on which a Factory Mutual (FM) Approval has been issued.”

Leading player 

De Kok Staalbouw is a steel construction company from Heerle, a town that falls under the municipality of Roosendaal. It is a real family business with a rich history dating back to 1927, when the first generation founded the company in this small town in the province of Noord-Brabant. Since then, De Kok Staalbouw has undergone tremendous development and has become a leading (inter)national player in the utility, industrial, petrochemical, sports & leisure, steel bridges, on- & offshore and crane building sectors.