Groninger Forum, Groningen | Striking new Groninger Forum building nears completion

'We can show again that we are meet special challenges'

It is an eye-catcher in downtown Groningen, the Groninger Forum. Because of its size, design and extensive use of natural stone. This Wachenzeller-Dolomit was delivered and installed against the facades by natural stone company Van Stokkum. The company devised a special fastening method for this.

He goes back some ten years, director Twan Smedts of Van Stokkum, to the beginning of the preparations for the construction of the Forum in Groningen. "The architect had made a design with facades clad in natural stone. It had to match the nearby Martini Tower. We received the request for a sample of Travertine and one of Musschelkalk." However, the look of both did not match what the architect had in mind, Smedts recalls. "We then suggested Wachenzeller-Dolomit, which is between the two in terms of color. That was exactly what he was looking for."

In the years that followed, Van Stokkum was given an extensive role in the preparation process because of the knowledge present at the company, Smedts points out. For example, support was provided along with the provision of data for composing the specifications. From Van Stokkum also came the suggestion for a specific anchor construction. "It's not often that such a large building is entirely fitted with natural stone. Moreover, the facades are not straight but consist of sloping walls. As a result, some of the natural stone had to be suspended. A lot of time was therefore put into the engineering; everything was worked out in 3D." In 2015 the contract was officially granted, Smedts says, and construction could begin. That soon came to a halt again because of earthquake problems. "That had quite a few consequences: entirely new calculations had to be made. We sat down with various parties, specialists were brought in - including us, a German structural engineer - and we came up with an earthquake-proof method of suspension based on the new calculations. In addition to the four pins with which a panel is normally fastened, a fifth and sixth pin have now been deployed, for extra safety."

The facades are now finished; Van Stokkum started work on the interior in April. That's where Spanish natural stone Argent and Italian Arabescato Corchia come in. Smedts: "It is a unique project; fun to do. It provides new knowledge and we can show that we can handle this kind of special challenge without fail."