Building faster, smarter and more sustainable

Circular concrete shell provides flexible basis for temporary and permanent construction

With Circle, CascoTotaal and its construction partners have been successfully responding to the growing demand for high-quality and affordable housing for starters, emergency seekers, status holders and those moving on for several years, for example. "The concept comprises one standardized module with a floor, ceiling and side walls and a maximum interior dimension of 9.6 x 3.6 meters, with which numerous building types and building shapes can be created," explains product manager Jeroen Adriaansen. "From tiny house to row house or apartment building and exactly as desired by the architect and client. The residential modules are suitable for both temporary and permanent occupancy and combine great design freedom with comfort, sustainability and circularity. And all at an affordable price! This makes the homes an excellent match for current building assignments. Various current projects prove this."

Temporary housing

As a first project, Adriaansen mentions the realization of 111 Circle hulls for a private investor in Meijel. "The hulls are intended for the temporary housing of labor migrants and will remain at this location for a maximum of 10 years. Then they will be moved to other plots and recreation parks owned by the same investor, where they can serve as flex housing or recreational housing." What is special about this project is that the shells are used not only as living quarters, but also as laundry rooms and office workspaces, he says. "The units are placed side by side and partially set up back to back, making the most efficient use of the available land. At the client's request, all units were finished on site."

Flexible housing

In new housing estate Zuidhoek in Kapelle, Bouwgroep Peters recently experienced a first with the very first HIVE Flexwoningen, based on proven techniques. The Circle concrete shell, which uniquely combines flexibility and sustainability, forms the basis of the housing concept. For example, 30% less concrete is used in its production than in other construction methods, Adriaansen says. "The flex homes in Kapelle are intended for starters, emergency seekers and status holders. Our modules are divided into four residential blocks with four, six, eight and nine homes, with a home sometimes comprising one and sometimes one and a half modules. The intention is that the homes will remain in Kapelle for about fifteen years, but even longer is not a problem. In fact, thanks to the high construction quality, a permanent building permit can still be issued on the homes."

To finish the houses, CascoTotaal worked closely with Bouwgroep Peters. "The shells were produced in-house in our prefab factory in Terneuzen, after which the contractor took care of the complete finishing in our finishing hall. The modules were then transported to the construction site in one go and ready to use, which allowed for significant savings in transport movements. Moreover, the standardized module enables high-quality reuse."

Circular to the bone

Due to the careful separation of shell construction, finishing and installations, all parts can be easily disassembled and reused, Adriaansen says. "For example, in a new project, with a new layout and finish. Among other things, an advanced drilling protocol and the absence of collapse facilities contribute to this." If no new destination is found, the concrete can be processed into granulate and reused in the production process. "However, this is hardly expected to be an issue, as the growing scarcity of materials and housing shortage will lead to a serious second-hand market."

Permanent housing

From the factory, the concrete shells comply with the Building Works Decree on the living environment. Among other things in terms of building physics and fire safety, says Adriaansen. "This also makes the modules very suitable for permanent living, such as in Vlissingen. Housing corporation l'escaut recently demolished nine existing homes here and replaced them with new construction, based on the Circle airframe. Each house consists of two shells (first floor and second floor), which are completely finished in our finishing hall in Terneuzen. This keeps the period between home demolition and home delivery as short as possible. Without sacrificing residential quality and sustainability."