Standard project with special challenges in terms of scope and logistics

Polish company realizes concrete skeleton and foundation for complex 5TRACKS in Breda

Somewhere at the beginning of the conversation, Denis van Wijk and Jeroen van Ostaijen drop that this was actually a "standard project. The joke is that after talking for just under an hour, they conclude that it was a special job. The 5TRACKS building complex in Breda may be fairly standard in the world of concrete construction, but it presented quite a few challenges for BudoBouw from Zwolle. In size, time, the whims of the weather gods and especially in logistics.

First, let's get some facts straight: 5TRACKS is a complex consisting of three buildings that have been given the beautiful primal Dutch names Up-Town, Mid-Town and Down-Town. They will provide housing for various functions such as housing (both rental and owner-occupied apartments), work (offices), hospitality, hotel and sports. BudoBouw was commissioned by J.P. van Eesteren to construct the concrete skeleton of Up-Town and Mid-Town and the foundations of the three buildings. "We started in the fall of 2021 and it took a year and a half," the duo indicates the time frame. 

BudoBouw had the opportunity to bring in familiar partners such as Doka formwork systems for the walls and cores, Klink Bekistingen for the steel wall formwork for the homes and Matemco Auxiliary Structures for the support structure. "It is really an advantage to work with regular parties. Then you know what you have on each other."

Unique location

In a year and a half, the workmen of BudoBouw have had to deal with just about every possible weather condition. From snow to high temperatures and frost to storms. But every person involved immediately notes that the logistical challenge was the greatest. And that has everything to do with the unique location. The complex is rising in the heart of Breda and the building site is sandwiched between the NS railway station on one side, the courthouse on the other and a street with a bicycle path and bus lane in front. 

Time slot

The magic word? Just-in-time delivery. Deliver exactly when you need it, because it was pretty much a mortal sin to park the trucks and thereby block the bus lane for a while. Heartbreakingly logical, of course, so the drivers took advantage of a time slot to keep delivery running smoothly and quickly. "It also happened that trucks parked outside the city core and from there we had to make sure they got to location at the right time. We put a lot of energy into that and it certainly paid off," state owner Van Wijk and manager Van Ostaijen. Because, it took quite a bit of formwork and concrete to realize the shell of 5TRACKS. "You're really dealing with large volumes here. If you pour two floors, you're already a thousand cubic meters away...," says the duo, who emphasize that unlike the other spaces, the residences are equipped with steel wall formwork. "That has everything to do with the quality standards
for housing."

Time, quality and safety

So even after this assignment, we can confidently conclude that BudoBouw is at the top in the Netherlands when it comes to concrete frame construction. "It is one of our core strengths," he says. And that the Zwolle-based company can handle extensive assignments and keeps the holy trinity of time, quality and safety well balanced. The final push in terms of safety was recently given with certification under the Safety Culture Ladder, or Safety Ladder, as an addition to VCA**. "Our new challenge? That's the next rung on the ladder."