Xavier residential tower, Amsterdam | Dutch aluminum window frames in 'metropolitan' residential tower

On Amsterdam's Zuidas business district, Xavier residential tower was completed in the middle of this year; an icon that would not be out of place in any metropolis with its sturdy and chic appearance. From the very beginning of the project, Intal has contributed to a specific profile solution that meets the aesthetic wishes and technical requirements for high-rise buildings. An interview with Johan Andringa of the Dutch system house for aluminum curtain walls and frames.

"The Zuidas is booming," Andringa says. "The tall residential and office towers and the diverse range of amenities create a cosmopolitan atmosphere." Xavier is a design by KENK Architects. According to the architect, the 70-meter-high residential tower is a connecting element between international office architecture and typical Dutch residential buildings. "A simple mass structure and a high degree of repetition, vertical 'French' windows, expressive balcony bands and spacious staggered balconies refer to both these building typologies. The use of a rich, nuanced brick in combination with various masonry dressings and different neg sizes gives the buildings a chic and also tough, 'metropolitan' look."

Intal used the IT77-RF profile series as a starting point for Xavier.

Spectacular view

The tower consists of apartments with rental housing on the lower floors and for-sale housing at the top. The apartments get progressively larger toward the top, ranging from 60 m² to a whopping 345 m² penthouse at the top of the crown. The facades consist of a grid of layered masonry with vertical windows that widen upward in the tower. This makes the building increasingly transparent and allows the apartments to take greater advantage of the spectacular views of the city. On behalf of Vlaardingen-based general contractor Waal, Intal was asked to help think about the façade waterproofing from the very beginning. "We delivered almost 7,000 m² of aluminum Intaltherm façade elements for Xavier, in this case mainly project-designed frame profiles," says Andringa. "We have since amply proven that we are the right party in project-based 3D engineering and co-development of image-defining elements."

Slim front shell

Intal used the IT77-RF profile series as a starting point for Xavier. Says Andringa, "We adapted the front shell to the architect's aesthetic requirements in such a way that the performance line of the profile remained intact. The modified, slender front shell is flattened and aligned with the connection and lines of the precast façade elements. Complete freedom for the architect while maintaining building physics performance. This therefore immediately demonstrates our added value as a system house. By joining the design team at an early stage, we can anticipate advancing insights during the design process. Because we do the engineering and production in-house, our client has only one point of contact from the design in 3D BIM to the actual realization. That proves to be of great added value, especially for such image-defining elements as Xavier."

According to Andringa, Xavier is rightfully an icon on the Zuidas. "The imposing residential tower is not inferior to the other buildings. As a Dutch systems house, it also gives us a sense of pride to have been able to contribute to this. We have been working towards the completion for several years. After all, the first sketches date back to 2014-2015. The delivery of the fantastic apartments in May 2019 was the culmination of a long-running process."