150 balcony slabs and 1,500 gable bands: precast concrete at Blinq

For almost half a century, swimming pool De Blinkert was located in Capelle aan den IJssel. Now this historic site is making way for a special new construction project: Blinq. Rainier van der Ploeg of Noppert Beton talks about the role of the concrete specialist in the realization of the four apartment buildings of Blinq.

"We call ourselves specialists in prefab for high-rise buildings with an expertise in specials," Van der Ploeg says. Fine, then, that contractor Van Wijnen could also rely on loyal partner Noppert Beton at Blinq. "Our cooperation has existed for a long time and we are very happy with that. In Capelle aan den IJssel, too, we are joining forces and that is going to produce a lot of wonderful things."

Exceptional figures

Noppert Beton developed several precast elements for Blinq. "We made 105 stairs and landings, 153 balcony slabs and about 1,500 facade bands," said Van der Ploeg. "The latter in particular is exceptional for us. For the design, we merged individual window sills, water layers and playbands into a complete gable band. 1,500 gable bands means no less than 4 kilometers of precast concrete. Those are figures we haven't tapped very often, so we are very proud of them." The size of the delivery was a logistical challenge, mainly because of the wide variety of gable ties, over 500 different types. "It was quite a job to sort everything and get it to the right place, but thanks to good preparation and extra personnel, we succeeded."

Custom made balcony slabs

Also notable about Blinq are the balcony slabs made by Noppert Beton. Van der Ploeg explains, "We start by 3D modeling the elements and then go to work adding details, such as tread structure and gutters for rain drainage. We make the molds ourselves and fully customized. That's real craftsmanship, because we make sure everything fits exactly."

Building a good relationship

That the combination of Noppert Beton and Van Wijnen Stolwijk works well is again evident at Blinq. Van der Ploeg: "You build up a relationship, based on cooperation and previously proven qualities. And that bond grows with every project. We are extra proud of the cooperation at Blinq, because this project is a special size for us. It's challenging, but thanks to the flexibility and pleasant communication, everything just runs smoothly. And that's enormously nice."