Platform on new construction, renovation, restoration and transformation
The Binckhorst in The Hague will undergo an impressive metamorphosis in the coming years. An innovative urban district with space for living, working and meeting is gradually taking shape on the former industrial estate. VORM Bouw is making a significant contribution to that transformation. Following the recent completion of Binck City Park, it is now building The Blox, one of the most ambitious residential towers in the city.
With 130 meters in height and 351 rental apartments, The Blox will be a striking addition to the Hague skyline. The residential tower contains a mix of housing segments: 220 social rental apartments, 70 mid-rent apartments and 61 free-sector homes. The lower two layers form a lively plinth with commercial functions, while the residential layers begin on the third floor and continue up to the 38th. The design is by LEVS architects, who chose a characteristic image of stacked blocks of six stories each, each forming its own residential neighborhood, with its own look and theme.
Special to The Blox are the three large interior neighborhoods: recesses in the building where green roof gardens and meeting spaces are created. “On the main roof will be a park of approximately 1,600 m², a green oasis where residents can meet, walk and relax,” says Tonnie Reijm, project manager at VORM Bouw. “These collective outdoor spaces strengthen social cohesion within the building. Interior gardens will also be created on the lower levels, with nesting boxes, bee hotels and space for flora and fauna, in keeping with our ambition to build nature-inclusively.”
Construction of The Blox began in October 2024 and completion is scheduled for late 2027. “The shell construction is expected to reach its highest point at the end of 2026,” said Reijm. “The project is technically challenging, due in part to the tower's slender shape and inner-city location. An optimal balance between logistics, environment, safety and an efficient construction process is therefore at the heart of our approach.”
The first three floors will be constructed with in-situ concrete. “Starting on the fourth floor, we will build with precast walls and columns from Mombarg Beton in combination with in-situ poured floors,” explains Reijm. One full floor is added every eight working days. A tight rhythm that requires a perfectly coordinated construction flow. “A climbing scaffold with windbreaks protects three levels simultaneously and climbs up with the structural work every eight days. This is to meet the legal requirements for high-rise buildings.”
The facade assembly is also organized innovatively. “With the lifting system specially developed by facade builder WVH Gevelprojecten, the facade elements are lifted vertically and mounted directly to the shell. Without scaffolding and without using the tower crane. This certified system makes it possible to work completely within the construction fences, without safety risks for the surroundings. Finally, the balconies are mounted scaffold-free against the shell and through the facade.”
On a project this size, construction is only part of the job, Reijm believes. “About 80 percent revolves around planning, logistics, safety and environment. Thanks to a young, data-driven team, all construction and quality processes are closely monitored. By using real-time data from planning and controls, we continuously optimize the construction process. The result: an effective and transparent working method with high predictability and manageability. That makes what we do powerful.”
“With The Blox, we are building not just a residential tower, but a new urban community,” Reijm summarizes. “A project that makes us proud as a team, precisely because it challenges us to build at the highest level. Literally and figuratively.”
