Platform on new construction, renovation, restoration and transformation
Just before the end of 2025, the Gardens of Sandoel will be completed. This multifaceted housing project stands out for its smart construction phasing, intensive use of prefabricated elements, flexible buyer supervision as well as close cooperation between developer, architect, housing corporation and regular construction partners. With both owner-occupied and rental apartments, a shared bicycle shed as the connecting heart and a characteristic facade brick that becomes lighter in color as the years go by, the project has been given a clear own identity.
After an earlier successful collaboration with real estate developers HK Vastgoed and Willigen Partners, construction company JG Timmer was engaged for the realization of the Gardens of Sandoel. “The project consists of three residential buildings with a total of 56 apartments,” says work planner Niels van Zuijlen. “The three buildings are divided into blocks A, B and C. Block A includes 24 owner-occupied apartments, block B 20 owner-occupied apartments and block C 12 rental apartments, which have been realized for housing corporation Thuisvester. The design comes from Bijl Architects, which has designed a coherent and recognizable whole with great attention to materialization and appearance.”
In 2023, construction company JG Timmer calculated all components of the project and developed the design into execution design (UO). “In doing so, the architect's design was respected as much as possible, while at the same time looking for an efficient and technically optimal elaboration,” Van Zuijlen explains. “The construction followed a clear sequence: first block A, then B and then C. Within this sequence, work was done in a ‘train’: first the first floor, then the upper floors, always running one after the other. Block C has one less floor than A and B and no basement, so this building was earlier to the roofing and finishing phase.”
Structurally, the project consists of a foundation on piles, with a shell of load-bearing walls in sand-lime brick and wide slab floors above. “The exterior walls are executed in masonry with a characteristic stone in which marl is incorporated. Due to the influence of light and weather conditions, this stone becomes slightly whiter over the years, giving the building a lively and timeless character. Precast concrete balcony and gallery elements and iconic concrete bands around each floor reinforce the architectural image,” says Van Zuijlen. Between the three buildings is a shared bicycle shed, finished with Fraké. “This wood is also found in the slat construction at Block C.”
With three buildings and 56 apartments, Van Zuijlen says it was a challenge to keep the construction process moving continuously. “A small kink in the cable immediately required adjustment in several places. Good coordination and flexibility in the planning were essential here.” For Block C, Thuisvester integrated its own standards as much as possible. “That required far-reaching coordination with the housing corporation's regular subcontractors and suppliers because of existing maintenance contracts.” Another important aspect of this project for construction company JG Timmer was the buyer supervision, which was carried out entirely in-house. “This involved responding to buyers” wishes as flexibly as possible, within clear and tight deadlines appropriate for a project of this size."
The apartments of the Gardens of Sandoel were completed in the last weeks of December and all are now occupied. Even the landscaping is largely complete.
