Techniques in plain sight at Flamco in Almere

After a year of construction, construction company Aan de Stegge Twello delivered the new premises for Aalberts hydronic flow control (Flamco and Comap) in Almere in February. Flamco and Comap specialize in developing, producing and selling technical products and systems in the field of heating, cooling and solar installations. In the building, the techniques could therefore be seen in abundance.

The new headquarters of Aalberts hydronic flow control with the factory for Flamco expansion vessels and a warehouse is located at business park Stichtsekant in Almere, directly on the A27, making it an easily accessible location. This new location replaces the factory in Bunschoten, the offices in Amersfoort and Amsterdam and the warehouse in Zeewolde. Construction company Aan de Stegge Twello engineered and built the new building, which consists of a production area, office space and a logistics area with loading and unloading pit.

Plan optimized

"Aan de Stegge Twello specializes in the development and realization of business premises. In this case, our client was an entity of GARBE Industrial Real Estate GmbH (hereafter GARBE), which then leases the building to Flamco. GARBE found optimizations within the building very important," says Marcel Groothuis, commercial project manager at Aan de Stegge Twello. His colleague Evert van Beek, technical project manager, complements him: "We optimized the plan that was already there. The building consists of a steel structure with steel sandwich panels, a steel roof and PVC roofing. The concrete floor rests on about 8,000 precast concrete piles. We chose sustainable materials and installations."

Building as a showroom

The new headquarters of Aalberts hydronic flow control received a BREEAM 'Outstanding' certificate for the office, making it one of the most sustainable office buildings in the Netherlands. This is of course a nice compliment for a producer of energy-efficient solutions. During construction, Aan de Stegge Twello was responsible for implementation and proofing. The company employs BREEAM experts who are trained and certified for this purpose.     

Normally in new buildings, technical systems are neatly hidden behind walls and ceilings, but not at Flamco in Almere. The technology is deliberately placed in plain sight, so that the company can present its own products and applications in an attractive way. Van Beek: "As soon as you enter the office area, you see the installation that heats and cools the building. So you see immediately what Flamco does and it has become a nice showroom."

Corona Products

In May, Flamco moved into the new building. This completes a project of more than a year and the Aan de Stegge Twello project team looks back on it with a positive feeling. "We did feel pressure on the planning due to corona, because the steel plants in France and Luxembourg were closed in April and May last year. As a result, we had outages in the supply of steel and were delayed by four weeks. Then we had to deal with snowfall in February, just when we were paving. Fortunately, we responded to this flexibly and did not experience any more delays," Groothuis said.

Multipurpose customized

The result is a high-quality and sustainable complex that also meets the requirements of GARBE and Flamco. Although one wanted a multifunctional building and the other customization, the project went to the satisfaction of both parties, says Van Beek. "We chose regular heights and a market-compliant floor load, but also made provisions for Flamco's production machines, such as manholes and foundations in the floor. Now everything has been carried out to everyone's satisfaction."    

Versatile groundwork for Flamco in Almere

The earthwork at Flamco in Almere was carried out by De Waard Grondverzet bv. The work consisted of structural earthwork, site layout, sewerage and paving. All this was commissioned by construction company Aan de Stegge Twello, with whom the company has been working in a pleasant way for many years.

"We always try to reuse as many materials as possible in civil engineering," explains Stefan de Kluijver of De Waard. "Under the hall, for example, there is paving material from work we have carried out on the A6 in Almere. This is how we try to work as circularly as possible."

From the beginning of the project to the end, De Waard was involved in the work. For example, she applied the paving material so that the piles for the hall could be installed. She then excavated about a kilometer of foundation trenches and profiled all debris courses so that the concrete floor and loading pit could be poured. "That involved over 31,000 square meters," De Kluijver knows. "At the end of the project, De Waard laid nearly 13,000 m2 of paving and installed 2.5-meter-high retaining walls on the property line. These form a neat separation between Flamco's property and the municipality."

Sustainable and innovative concrete finish

NGCM provides concrete finishing products that are environmentally friendly and can be processed quickly and easily. It aims to use precious fossil resources more efficiently and therefore develops sustainable solutions for construction. The post-treatment products are developed in cooperation with TU Delft, among others.

In the new construction for Flamco, NGCM supplied Delft Green® Curing Compound; an after-treatment to make the concrete harder and of better quality, resulting in a longer lifespan. If no or insufficient Curing Compound is applied, cracks and highly porous areas develop. 

It was a conscious choice for Aan de Stegge Twello to choose NGCM, as no other supplier can supply this kind of high-quality product, which is also sustainable for people and the environment. "Our finishing is based on clay and seaweed. Both ingredients you can even consume, although I wouldn't do that because of the taste," says director Henkjan Gilbers.

Thanks to NGCM's organic products, you optimize the hydration of the concrete. Even when pouring during hot weather, there is a solution. The company developed the application method itself, so it can guarantee that Delft Green® products are applied correctly. Gilbers: "The Quality Assurance for Construction Act goes into effect in 2022 and indicates that as a contractor you must be able to demonstrate that you are applying the materials in the right ways. With our products, this is already possible now."

Construction Info

Main contractor 
Aan de Stegge, Twello

Construction Manager 
Synquis, Huissen

Designing structural engineer 
Pieters Bouwtechniek, Utrecht

Engineering structural engineer 
JVZ Engineers, Deventer

E and W installation 
Batenburg Installation Technology, Twello

Sprinkler system 
Fire Stop Holland, Vriezenveen

Groundwork 
De Waard, Zeewolde

Construction period 
March 2020 - February 2021

BVO 
33.981 m2