Concrete and steel go well together

New Academy Ten building consists of concrete columns and steel girders

Academy Ten in Utrecht for mavo, havo and vwo has received an extraordinary new building, completed in September 2013. The building is inviting thanks to lots of glass, an open layout and a public square on the roof of the sports hall. Buiting Staalbouw supplied and assembled some 350 tons of steel for the shell.

Main supporting structure

The new building for Academy Ten is constructed of concrete columns and steel girders. The combination of concrete with steel required close coordination between Buiting and concrete builder Holcon, says Arthur Heesen, project manager at Buiting. "We had to come up with a good construction and practical connections between concrete and steel. We have quite a bit of structural knowledge on board, so we can also contribute proactively to these solutions. That certainly played a role here as well. We experienced a very pleasant cooperation with our client WAM&VanDuren and the concrete builder. There was mainly thinking in solutions and that works very pleasant."

Funnel roof with integrated rainwater drain

For Buiting, the special feature was particularly in the funnel-shaped roof over the central part of the school. A good solution had to be found for the rainwater that collects there. Buiting was able to provide detailed solutions for this, which resulted in the desired integrated rainwater drainage in the steel construction. Heesen: "Aesthetically, you don't see the drain. It is 15 meters high, so that was quite a challenge. There were also many connections in the funnel roof with the concrete. The dimensions were therefore incredibly important. The concrete builder was first in line and then we could get to work. Holcon had to provide a perfectly assembled concrete structure. The dimensions had to be 100% to properly connect the steel construction. That required a lot of consultation and coordination, but also clever details."

Once this construction was complete, Buiting was able to place the roofing sheets on the pitched roof, which Heesen says was also different than usual. "Normally we lay the roof sheets on a flat roof, so this was new." In the schoolyard, Buiting made another pergola as additional work, Heesen continues. "All in all, it was an intensive process on the front end, but in terms of execution a perfectly successful project."