Most sustainable student complex built scaffold-free

On the Moermanskade in Minervahaven in Amsterdam stands Student Experience International (SEI). It has the BREEAM-NL 'Excellent' certificate, making it the most sustainable student complex in the world. WEBO makes an important contribution to this through its product Steigerloos®.

First, by way of introduction, more about Student Experience International. This student complex is a so-called "extended-stay" facility with 600 hotel rooms for (foreign) students, researchers and doctoral students who are enrolled at one of Amsterdam's universities or colleges for a teaching or research period ranging from one week to a maximum of one year. However, it offers more than just accommodation. With a multifunctional first floor, a sports field on the roof and a catering concept that will be accessible to everyone, it is a multifunctional building.

Win-win situation

"The assignment was as simple as it was complex: SEI Amsterdam had to be a highly sustainable building built to the BREEAM-NL 'Excellent' standard," says Rob Averdijk, Technical Sales Engineer Steigerloos®. "In addition to these sustainable ambitions, it had to be built quickly and efficiently. The construction site was limited in size and located near a public road. There is really only one answer to this combination: scaffoldless construction. Scaffoldless® contributes to a sustainable and circular facade and thus has a positive CO2 contribution. This combined with the construction speed and the financial benefits gives a win-win situation in all areas."

Innovative building

The Student Experience International project required a different construction process than the traditional one, more or less forced to do so by the sustainable ambitions, the limited space on the construction site and the set delivery deadline. "Scaffoldless construction fits this picture perfectly. Just look at the facade elements. The traditional way of building already involves at least three to four parties working together on a facade. We engineer in BIM, assemble the entire facade elements in our factory and deliver it ready-made to the construction site. That means that as a client, you only have to deal with one party. That makes it much clearer who is responsible for what." 

Ready-made

A warm wooden cladding was chosen for this project on the inside. The exterior is fully sustainably constructed with integrated solar panels on the facade. All interior cavity walls including window frames and exterior finishes were prefabricated in the WEBO factory and installed turnkey: Scaffoldless® on construction. "Both the wooden cladding in the inner ring of the building and the elements on the outside. Here we have prepared it in such a way that the installer can mount the PV panels. After the installation of our elements, the facade is wind and watertight. This has the important advantage that the finishing work can also start immediately."

Challenge

This project is right up WEBO's alley, according to Averdijk. "We are used to industrial construction on postage stamp locations and know the challenges involved. Thanks to our experience, we are creative in coming up with solutions, we know the technical feasibility of certain applications and we are familiar with the laws and regulations."