Building hybrid steel structures

All steel structures, steel plate concrete floors, stairs and steel roofs in the Walkwartier were produced, delivered and assembled by Metaalbouw Vloet. A special project for the Mill-based company: a large part of the buildings (with the exception of the residential tower) were constructed in steel. "Complex constructions, with a lot of variation," says owner Dennis Frankot.

In the Department Store, the architecturally sophisticated "city palace" that includes a library, the structures often have round shapes. "So do the steel beams and girders for the various walking levels. These are produced and coated by us at the production site to the correct length and in the correct bending radius and are assembled on site," Frankot said. In addition to the basic structures, steel plate concrete floors and hollow-core slabs are also assembled in the Walk Quarter. "In the Department Store, these are partly upright hollow-core slabs; for the installation of aerial platforms, we have realized a special platform on this floor to make the roof structure accessible. Walkwartier is also a unique project for us, with many different disciplines."

Roofs and stairs

The steel roofs of the Department Store and the shops/commercial areas around it were also provided by Metaalbouw Vloet. The steel plates were again cut to length at the in-house production site and assembled by the metal builder. "There are many interfaces with the work of the general contractor and other subcontractors. Good coordination and communication ensures that the job gets done on time. We are currently working on the final touches, including several steel stairs in the Department Store, which will then be finished with wood by Berghege. Naturally, all components of the Walk Quarter have been properly calculated by the chief structural engineer and we relieve Berghege of the burden of making the detailed calculations and working them out into construction drawings."