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IMPRESSIVE FINAL TO THE TRACK QUARTER
RED Bouw is a multidisciplinary construction company with decades of experience in innovative and leading projects. The BaanTower in Rotterdam fits perfectly into this list. The striking 159-meter-high residential tower will be one of the most sustainable apartment buildings in Rotterdam. Another unique feature is the collaborative construction, in which RED Bouw works directly as a partner of Construction Company and under developer RED Company.
RED Bouw was initially involved as the contractor for the entire structural work, says Otto Janssen, COO at RED Bouw. “However, this assignment has since been expanded considerably. The BaanTower was developed by RED Company and designed by Powerhouse Company. RED Company also includes Construction Company, which focuses on future-proof real estate development. Construction Company has set up a general partnership specifically for The BaanTower, in which RED Bouw 50% is responsible. This means that, in addition to being the contractor for the entire structural work, we are also the coordinating contractor for all other work. We work directly as a partner of Construction Company, under RED Company and alongside all other partners. This allows us to respond much more quickly and directly.”
“We started demolishing the office buildings on the corner of Baan, Hoornbrekersstraat, and Blekersstraat in November 2023,” says Janssen. “The foundation of the residential tower followed in October 2024. The foundation consists of a 2.4-meter-thick concrete footing, on top of which the concrete skeleton will be built.” The basement will mainly serve as an installation space, while the ‘Rotterdam plinth’ from the first to the seventh floor will accommodate restaurants, bicycle parking facilities, and the Consulate of Cape Verde. “There will also be a cinema on the sixth floor, while a gym and swimming pool will be built on the seventh floor. Above this are all the apartments, with ten, six, and four apartments per floor from bottom to top, respectively.”
The facades are constructed from top to bottom using aluminum fronts and polished natural stone cladding in the form of horizontal and vertical bands, he explains. “A ‘crown’ will also be created on the top floor. This will be a kind of ‘box’ behind which the installations will be fitted.”
However, according to Janssen, the most impressive feature is the arch construction, which spans Hoornbeekstraat as both a visual and structural eye-catcher. “The arch construction consists of five imposing column arches, each eighteen meters high, which were poured in one go, arch by arch,“ he explains. ”This is unique. Because the arches remain visible, maximum precision was required in terms of concrete quality, dimensions, and surface finish."
The entire main supporting structure for The BaanTower will be cast on site, with the exception of the elevator walls, stairwell walls, and stairs in the core. “During construction, we will be using climbing formwork, which means that the core will be completed three to four floors ahead of the floor slabs,” explains Janssen. “Our ambition is to work in five-day cycles from the twelfth floor upwards. This means that in just five days, we will form the floor slabs, install the systems and reinforcement, and close the facades, after which the facade screens will climb one floor hydraulically.”
The facade scaffolding covers five floors, with structural work being carried out on the top floor while natural stone is being installed on the bottom floor. The climbing formwork must be fully in place by the summer of 2026, after which the entire project will be completed in October 2026. “We are working daily with around forty construction site employees from RED Bouw and ten management staff (site supervisors, work planners, and project manager) to meet this deadline.”
