Unique roof and wall cladding for XLBox Gouda

An innovative garage box complex of XLBox Nederland is rising at the Goudse Poort business park in Gouda. One of the key players in this project is Hardeman Isolatie, which with its experience and craftsmanship is responsible for the roof and facade cladding. Work planner and project leader Leindert Terlouw shares his insights on the project and the challenges involved.

Hardeman Insulation has developed over the years into a specialist in roof and wall cladding, mainly for commercial buildings, stables and barns. The company specializes in assembling sandwich panels, which provide both insulation and wind- and watertight shells for buildings. "We work on renovation and new construction projects," Terlouw says. "We always accompany projects with proper consultation: from the first contact with the customer to the last screw." 

Wide range of work 

Hardeman Insulation came into the XLBox picture thanks to its collaboration with contractor AGB Bouw. They approached us because we are a somewhat larger party and we can scale up quickly with these kinds of large-scale projects," Terlouw explains. The collaboration turned out to be a hit, thanks in part to the flexible and practical approach of both parties.

The complex is composed of two connected buildings. Here, Hardeman Insulation first installed stone wool fire walls. It then laid the steel roofs and the exterior walls were clad with sandwich panels. "Once the buildings were wind and watertight, the exterior shell was prepared with flashing," Terlouw says. "Then we assembled the profiled sheets and composite above the curtain walls. We also created about 400 garage boxes in the complex with interior walls. While we worked outside on the cladding, another crew started on the interior walls. As a result, the construction lead time was short and we were able to deliver the project quickly." 

Variation and change 

"The variety of materials and the complex connections between the profile plates and the aluminum composite made this project challenging, but also extremely fun," Terlouw continued. In addition to the material challenges, the Hardeman Insulation team also had to deal with changes in execution. "Many things that were originally conceived were implemented slightly differently. Together with the client, AGB Bouw and our foreman, we practically solved problems we encountered on the job. An example is the height of the profile plates. The profile plates on the floors ran in line all around. We also had to take into account the cubes on the facades and the light cassettes in the wall. The profiled sheets and sills had to continue as nicely as possible. By paying attention to it together, we produced a beautiful result." 

Pride in shared successes 

Despite the challenges, the Hardeman Insulation team is proud of the result and the smooth cooperation that led to this success. "The whole project went great," Terlouw says enthusiastically. "We started in week 8 and continued working in one piece until week 27, without a day of downtime. That's pretty unique in our industry." Good coordination with regular suppliers and AGB Bouw's practical approach ensured that the project went smoothly.

With the completion of XLBox Gouda in September 2024, it is a model of a super nice collaboration. "When you hear that the construction supervisor is completely satisfied, then you know you have put something beautiful down," Terlouw proudly concludes.