De Walvis, Amsterdam | Unique identity with sleek, robust facade bands

A striking appearance, that is certainly what The Whale can be called. The office building on Bickerseiland in Amsterdam underwent a large-scale renovation, during which the facade also received a major upgrade. Aldowa's sleek, dark bronze-colored facade bands contribute to the new, unique identity of De Walvis.

In total, Aldowa engineered, manufactured, supplied and installed 1,350 meters of façade bands for the renovated façade of The Whale. In addition, Aldowa was responsible for 425 meters of roof hoods, 100 square meters of cassette façade, 1,265 square meters of walkway gratings and 1,465 square meters of ceiling gratings.

Highly skilled engineers and experienced craftsmen

The façade of The Whale is anything but standard, making it a project of choice for Aldowa. "We have specialized in the engineering, production and assembly of large and complex façade cladding in various types of metal for over forty years," says Aldowa project manager Richard Sliep. "We can make virtually anything architects think of. We do this with a team of highly skilled and experienced craftsmen who know how to get to work. Moreover, we have the right machines to manufacture, from sheet metal, facade parts in the most unusual shapes."

Robust, solid-looking gable bands

KAAN Architects, who designed the renovation, gave the gable bands a robust and massive appearance. In the process, the gable bands manifest themselves super sleek and dead straight on the facade. "We were involved in the project as early as the design stage, to collaborate on the execution details," says project engineer Frank Frumau of Aldowa. "In collaboration with the architect, but also with client Maarsen Groep, contractor Dura Vermeer and facade builder Aluverre, we developed this special facade detailing. We manufactured the facade bands from AldoCore panels 5.5 meters long, 1.2 meters high and 14 mm thick. The honeycomb structure between the inside and outside of these lightweight panels creates the robust and massive appearance."

Façade bands with color-coated ceiling diffusers.

Tuning important during assembly

In September 2019, Aldowa started assembling the facade bands, which seamlessly connect to the Aluverre curtain wall. Frumau: "We manufactured a substructure of aluminum sketch plates, containing three drill holes at the location of the topsky anchors of the curtain wall. On this substructure we applied our gable bands. At the bottom and top of the facade bands, we mounted color-coated walking and ceiling grilles." During assembly, coordination with Aluverre was a major concern. Sliep explains, "Our work immediately followed that of Aluverre. So our schedules had to fit together seamlessly. Aluverre worked from bottom to top and we assembled the facade bands from top to bottom. That way we were in each other's way as little as possible."

Custom cassettes

Aldowa also engineered, supplied and installed the roof hoods and the cassette façade on the first floor. For the cassette facade, at the architect's request, Aldowa manufactured cassettes of a different size. "With a size of 180 x 300 centimeters, they are larger than normal," explains Sliep. "We never say 'no' to custom work like this, provided we can deliver the quality we stand for." Frumau adds, "To ensure that the cassettes could be mounted tightly and neatly, we applied two additional omega back constructions."   

Building on a postage stamp

In addition to the technical concerns, the renovation of De Walvis brought logistical challenges. Sliep: "We were building on a postage stamp, right in the center of Amsterdam. That gave our work an extra dimension. We had to deal with little available space on the construction site, narrow access roads and a low railroad tunnel. We engaged our transporter early on to get all the permits in order. This transporter also provided a special truck that could pass under the railroad tunnel."

Communication critical

With the assembly behind them, Sliep and Frumau look back on the work with great satisfaction. "As on many projects, good communication proved crucial," says Sliep. "Our execution and logistics department were in daily contact. We also had a Whatsapp group with the entire Aldowa team, in which we could quickly inform each other about the daily course of events. The communication and cooperation with all parties involved went very well. And it's always nice when the client expresses satisfaction with your work. We ourselves at Aldowa are also incredibly proud of the final result."