All steel and balustrade work is done in-house

A balustrade is often not only a functional element, but also contributes to the appearance of a building. For example, the gallery balustrades on part of the service flats at De Batouwe in Tiel were characteristic of the building's appearance. That is why architect Pieter Wagter also used this building element in the renovated facade. Main contractor De Vree en Sliepen engaged Van Pommeren Las & Montage to dismantle the existing balustrades, process them on site, recondition them and reassemble them on the new facade.

In a relatively short time, welding and assembly company Van Pommeren from Veenendaal has grown into an exclusive metal company with stairs, balustrades and special construction as its core business. "We carry out everything in-house: from drawing and engineering to development, production and assembly. We do not shy away from any challenge. The more complex the project, the more fun we have," says project supervisor Dieter Ploeg. "Sometimes it is a private customer, but as a rule it is architects, contractors and constructors from all over the Netherlands who knock on our door to help them with their stairs, balustrades, steel structures or sheet metal work. De Vree and Sliepen is one of those relationships that we work with more often for a wide variety of projects."

'The more complex a project, the more fun it is for our team'

Reusing old materials

Thus, the specialists of welding and assembly company Van Pommeren were also involved in the transformation of De Batouwe at an early stage by the construction company from Tiel. "We are engaged daily in the development, production and assembly of new balustrade systems and staircases, and do often have to develop special elements to meet our customers' wishes. But this was quite an exceptional project, since the construction team wanted to recover, preserve and reuse as many old elements as possible," explains the project supervisor. "We first checked whether the existing balconies' railings could be recycled. Then they were dismantled and de-painted, de-zinced and, where necessary, repaired in our workshop. Then they were re-galvanized and we applied a new powder coating in two coats. The refurbished fence systems were finally mounted on the new facade. This project was divided into several phases, as the building was renovated block by block. There was an average of four weeks between the dismantling of the old elements and the assembly of the renovated railings."