Steel as the basis of wood: the ingenious construction of the World Heritage Center 

360 tons of steel and a hefty dose of know-how. Visser Konstruktie Veenwouden BV is pulling out all the stops for a solid foundation for the World Heritage Center in Lauwersoog. The Frisian family business feels like a fish out of water on the construction: "It is a beautiful project and fits right in our alley," says project leader Eelke Hofman.

Whereas most construction companies focus mainly on steel construction, Visser Konstruktie Veenwouden BV's knowledge extends further. The World Heritage Center also requires knowledge of wood and concrete, because the building will be filled with them. Fortunately, Visser Konstruktie knows how to deal with that. "The lines of communication with the other parties are short," says Hofman. "It really is a team effort and we like to think along with the others in both the design process and the execution."

To perfection

The detailed engineering and assembly methods of the building's steel frame come from Visser Konstruktie. "It is completely stable and level," says Hofman. "It's a time-consuming job, but a lot of fun to do." Visser Konstruktie is also responsible for the consoles from which the wooden exterior of the building is suspended. "Our work is not always visible, but it is an indispensable basis for the final result." 

What does become visible is the work Visser Konstruktie is doing in the seal pools. "Our last job in this project is placing structures with sliding doors in the stays. When everything is finished, there will be no less than 360 tons of steel in this building. That's a hefty amount!"

A familiar project

Like the work, the partners in this project are no strangers to Visser Konstruktie. "It is more or less the same team with which we recently did another special project, 'It Swettehûs' in Leeuwarden. Back then it was a good cooperation and again it's running smoothly." The Frisian construction company works throughout the country, but also gets very happy with a job in its own region. "The World Heritage Center is about 30 kilometers away for us and is in a very nice location," Hofman says. "Lauwersoog is really a 'weekend spot': when the sun shines, the whole area moves there. It is therefore very nice to be able to work on this beautiful project in that special place myself."