Adding a floor every eight days. Building in a tight rhythm

On behalf of VORM Bouw, DESA is providing the complete shell of The Blox, the 130-meter-high residential tower at the Binckhorst in The Hague. The company is responsible for the entire shell, from engineering to execution. In a tight rhythm of just eight days, the tower grows by one floor at a time.

The first four floors of construction are completely cast-in-place, including the walls. Starting on the fourth floor, DESA installs the precast walls from Mombarg Beton, while all floors are traditionally poured on site. “Each building floor is completed in a cycle of eight days,” says Ata Turkoglu, DESA project manager. “With a close-knit team of some 25 employees on site, we are able to maintain this tight rhythm. Of course, in continuous cooperation with the team at VORM Construction.”

Safety has top priority

Working at height obviously involves risks, which is why safety is a top priority at DESA. “For example, our people on the construction site are protected and kept out of the wind by a climbing scaffold with wind and safety screen. It is the ‘object’ with the distinctive yellow cloth surrounding the building,” Turkoglu explains. “Furthermore, we make full use of the tower crane. Not only for logistics, but also for safely hoisting large precast elements and retrofitting the loggias. The fact that WVH Facade Projects is not dependent on the tower crane for the installation of the facade elements is therefore very valuable to us.”

Technical challenges at height

One of the biggest challenges for DESA, according to Turkoglu, is in realizing the recesses in the building over as many as three floors. “It requires unique structural solutions, such as the use of large steel A-frames. These A-frames, which weigh more than 20 tons each, perform both a structural and architectural function. They create cut-out terraces (read: interior neighborhoods) that give The Blox its characteristic appearance. At different levels, these cut-outs recur, making the project technically challenging.”

DESA takes care of the complete structural work, including the assembly of the formwork and support systems and the relocation of the multi-climb scaffolding. “Thanks to close cooperation between the teams, both on site and from project management with our client and other subcontractors, we manage to organize the construction flows tightly and keep the pace high.” The schedule calls for completion in December 2026, but Turkoglu expects to be finished as early as November 2026.