Precast concrete and wood: the future of sustainable construction

In Rotterdam Pendrecht, timber construction project Valckensteyn is taking shape. With a height of no less than 40 meters, the apartment complex will be one of the largest timber construction residential complexes in the Netherlands. To achieve these heights, Steenhuis Beton is responsible for the precast concrete stairs and landings in this project.

Sales manager Aeilco Holtkamp takes us through, "We have been a manufacturer of precast concrete elements since 1913, specializing in concrete stairs and landings. There is a stairwell in the center of the building and our stairs and landings are in it. Among other things, we made those with standard molds. With that application you are a lot cheaper."

Sustainable example project

Valckensteyn is a fine example project for the future of sustainable construction: an efficient residential building in a circular wood shell where living remains affordable. "You see that escape and access is difficult in wood," Holtkamp notes. "That's why there's a central core of concrete in the building, containing our precast concrete stairs and landings. That gives stability to the whole thing and is also fireproof. Especially with escape, you want material that is not flammable, like concrete. So here you see a nice collaboration of a building constructed in wood, with a concrete staircase as the central core."

Concrete for the future

"We are talking here about a very sustainable project with a considerable CO2 reduction. We would also like to contribute to this sustainable future. This is why we are also working on a special pilot project ourselves: making concrete stairs with a new binder, reducing CO2 emissions by 80%." A nice step for the future of concrete and the first results are promising: "Normally we use cement as a binding agent. But that is not very sustainable. We have to do something with that as a concrete industry. Our new binder, INVIE, can completely replace cement in the future. The binder is being developed in our own laboratory. The first tests are going well: it looks beautiful. A nice step for sustainability within the industry to make structural concrete from this!"