Foundation contractor Franki Grondtechnieken B.V. realized the walls and columns for parking garage Garenmarkt in Leiden. "We first dug trenches 25 meters deep and 1 meter thick, which were then filled with concrete on site. This created the outer walls of the parking garage. Indeed, the tub was completely excavated afterwards. We also provided the various columns, which formed the pillars for the roof. For about 4 months, 2 teams of 5 people each were working on the site," explains director Jan-Wim Verhoeff.
"Every project is unique, but here the location in the middle of the city provided the greatest challenges. After all, vibrations and noise pollution for the surrounding area had to be taken into account there. Moreover, a lot of material also had to be brought in, including 6,000 m³ of concrete and 5,000 tons of reinforcing steel. For this, some 600 trucks with concrete and another 100 with reinforcement had to drive through student city Leiden."
Franki Grondtechnieken B.V., founded in 1934 and a full subsidiary of Franki Foundations Belgium, is a foundation contractor that focuses mainly on special assignments and techniques. Thanks to years of experience and a very extensive machine park, the company can offer an optimal technique for each project for the realization of foundations, but also for renovation, retaining walls, injection works, remediation and soil improvement. "Actually, the Belgian founder Edgard Frankignoul laid the foundation for our firm over 100 years ago with the introduction of his Franki pile. In a short time, this innovation built a huge empire. Afterwards, the company also began to focus on general construction work and many companies with the Franki name have sprung up around the world," Verhoeff said. "Franki Grondtechnieken still falls under the old Franki, now Franki Foundations Belgium, and has been part of the BESIX Group since 2008. We now have an impressive list of reference projects, ranging from design to execution of foundation works for construction, utility and civil engineering projects."