Platform on new construction, renovation, restoration and transformation
Hendriks Coppelmans Bouwgroep from Uden, Woonstichting Tiwos and SMO Traverse have brought the new building for homeless people in Tilburg to a representative conclusion with flying colors, with four beautiful, sleek buildings and a layout that fits and connects with the wishes of the ever-growing client group. One of those involved even had a special role in the construction process.
Text | Willem de Volder Image | Hendriks Coppelmans Bouwgroep
Traverse Social Care Foundation in Tilburg was in need of a new building. The buildings from the 1970s were seriously outdated. Moreover, they no longer met today's requirements for the reception and guidance of the homeless. The project at Reitse Hoevenstraat 2 required an investment of some 18.3 million euros, including a Traverse project at Gasthuisring in Tilburg. The municipality of Tilburg put a one-time six million euro into the renewal. Carina Kruijsse (Director SMO Traverse), Anita Pauwels (Project developer Hendriks Coppelmans) and André van der Wouw (Tiwos) look back with pleasure on the process, but especially on the result.
Owner Tiwos was aware of the need to invest in SMO Traverse. "The buildings that were there were severely outdated, offered little comfort or safety and worked against optimal supervision of the clients," says Van der Wouw. "Renovating was not an option, given the amount of asbestos in the buildings. Everything was demolished and four new buildings appeared in phases. Two buildings were tackled per phase. After all, life for the clients requires continuity of shelter."
That it has been a long journey, the interlocutors in Kruijsse's office in Building Two agree. "We invested a lot on the front end," Pauwels looks back four years. "The changing nature of the Traverse clients was also held up to the light, with often longer stays and a desire for more comfort and color. Moreover, each building is self-sufficient," Kruijsse points out. She speaks of "a search for the right level of finish. "It must not be a container; welcoming and homely are the characteristics." In relation to the residents, the director speaks of great differentiation. She also sees an evolution in the composition of the hundred or so residents: "We aim to reduce the number of homeless people to the neighborhood. Also, we see an increase in the number of families." This was anticipated with the addition of a family home, with separate emphases for long stays. Children and families do receive care at Reitse Hoevenstraat in the same building as singles, but separate rooms are available. "Safety is an issue here," he said.
Because of the municipal subsidy, a public tender was necessary. Van der Wouw calls it an exciting process that resulted in Hendriks Coppelmans Bouwgroep. "This developing construction group not only presented a good plan, but also indicated they could deliver on April 1, 2020, not knowing what would come their way. In addition, there was the challenge of continued client occupancy on the property during construction." It required a lot of moving movements and thus a safe approach (a gas station a stone's throw away) and routing on the construction site. "The construction team worked together in harmony. Full consideration was given to each other's interests, but we also dared to address each other. The strength? The expertise of the parties, from demolisher and architect to the representatives and users of Traverse," Pauwels compliments the colleagues and client. "It required constant switching." The role of Architectenbureau Luijten-Smeulders in the person of Monique Groenen also comes up when "thinking along" comes up. "Through the empathy of the many parties, a common language was spoken, one in which construction and care understood each other," Van der Wouw looks back.
One of the buildings on the SMO Traverse site is home to De Bron, a (catering) place used for day care. Kruijsse appreciates that Tiwos, as well as the builders, regularly used that location for consultations or other activities such as an information evening for local residents. "It strengthens the contact. Think of it as a form of social return in the context of corporate social responsibility." Another great example is that one of SMO Traverse's clients was incorporated by Hendriks Coppelmans Bouwgroep. "Such an acceptance means a lot to him and to us." Pauwels complements Kruijsse: "We too look back on that interaction with a particularly good feeling. It shows that we are doing more than stacking bricks." At said info evening, the new employee told his story and, according to Pauwels, the construction workers were "quiet as a mouse during his speech.
"In the preliminary process, we indicated that the buildings might be transformed to other uses in the future. By using a column structure, they can also be given a residential function," Van der Wouw explains. The buildings are also sustainable. That is underlined with gasless (which was integrated during the process), solar panels and heat pumps. The lighting plan also has a sparing character. It is clear that the broad input of all parties has resulted in buildings that not only provide shelter, but also great comfort and safety. For Hendriks Coppelmans Bouwgroep, it is not the first test of competence in the healthcare sector. The company has also taken it at care centers in Berlicum and Sint-Michielsgestel in Brabant, among others. The company is currently active in Helmond, where the Brainport Smart District is taking shape; a smart living and working district where the urban environment is designed in conjunction with new technologies for transport, health, energy generation and storage, and circular construction.
That the parties have succeeded in creating a pleasant living environment for the target group(s) soon becomes clear when the large park with beautiful, preserved trees and surrounding beautiful buildings is entered. The courtyard exudes tranquility, lends itself to meeting and even invites to play sports together. All bases for clients to reintegrate into a new, protected environment.
'Project SMO Traverse encompasses all our disciplines'
Demolition, earth, sewer and street works, planting, asbestos removal and soil remediation: the SMO Traverse project in Tilburg included just about all the disciplines in which TTO Demolition & Infra specializes.
"What are we most proud of in the realization of this comprehensive project? The end result, of course. But also on the excellent cooperation with the various partners among themselves and with Traverse's clients," says director Leon van Roessel in his office on the Lovensekanaaldijk in Tilburg. Taking into account the long list of guidelines, he put down one price for the various components in 2016. "Adopted in a difficult time," Van Roessel looks back. He pulls out the floor plan of the slightly more than hectare site from the folder and explains the underground and overhead infra. "We demolished the buildings and removed asbestos. And sewerage, CAI, water, electricity, gas, planting and site layout were also part of our job."
With its own personnel in combination with a flexible shell, TTO Demolition & Infra has some 30 to 35 FTEs at work in recent years. Barring a minor "asbestos setback," Van Roessel looks back with a good feeling on the realization of Tiwos' assignment. It was brought to a successful conclusion in cooperation with contractor Hendriks Coppelmans from Uden. The next 'care assignment' for TTO Demolition & Infra is in full swing: Park Vossenberg, a project of Zorggroep Elde Maasduinen in Kaatsheuvel with 150 apartments for 'independent living and living with care close by'.
