Platform on new construction, renovation, restoration and transformation
The housing shortage, the shortage of skilled technicians, the limited space on our construction sites, as well as ambitious climate goals, demand new ways of thinking and working, with an emphasis on sustainability and efficiency. Prefabricated construction is responding to this and is being embraced by more and more construction partners. Facade specialist Facédo also prefers prefabrication, which, according to tender manager Maikel van Wijk, offers advantages in quality, planning and safety. “In addition to timber frame elements, our window frames are regularly added in precast concrete sandwich elements. A great reference for this is residential tower Nova at the Maanplein in The Hague, where a large proportion of our window frames were prefabricated into Hibex concrete façade elements. In total, some 37 elements per façade were assembled at a rate of just seven days per floor.”
Residential tower Nova is part of De Binckhorst; a former industrial site that is being transformed step by step from an office jungle to a modern, urban and water-rich area where you can live, work and stay to your heart's content. Beautifully situated at the head of the marina, stands Nova. This 70 meter high residential tower provides space for 183 (rental) apartments, 139 covered parking spaces and a lively commercial plinth and is built with high quality and sustainable materials. For example, the facade consists of insulated sandwich elements in precast concrete, in which Facédo's aluminum window frames have already been preinstalled.
Commissioned by Pleijsier Bouw, Facédo provided the supply, assembly and airtight finish of the aluminum window frames on all residential floors as well as the curtain walls in the commercial plinth. “In total we supplied approximately 3,700 m2 window frames and curtain walls in anodized aluminum, which combine a luxurious appearance, a long lifespan and minimal maintenance,” says Van Wijk. “The bulk of the window frames were delivered to Hibex. On the bag field of the precast concrete plant in Groningen, we built our window frames into the sandwich façade elements between April 2022 and February 2023. We used a self-provided mobile crane, so that our craftsmen did not have to constantly maneuver between all the elements. This made the prefabrication process even more efficient.” From January through July 2023, the elements were transported to the construction site just-in-time and included profiled white concrete, stone strips and Facédo water layers and lifted directly into place. “Before delivery, we only had to adjust the window frames and apply the air seal. In addition, we installed a few more frames at the location of the transport openings.”
According to Van Wijk, the big advantage of prefabrication is the stable quality and planning. “Once the construction train is up to speed, it runs at a constant pace. The routing (order) is known in advance and deviations are not an issue. Moreover, work can be done in a controlled environment and under the best health and safety conditions, so mutations are hardly an issue.”
About 630 windows and 230 elements with balcony sash were used in residential tower Nova, says Van Wijk, meeting an extremely high wind and water tightness requirement of 650 Pascal. “At the basis of all aluminum frames is the Kawneer RT72 window and door system, with an average Uwindow of ≤1.0 W/m2K. We modified the detailing of the standard profile in such a way that an extra flange could be extruded on the inside. This eliminated the need for Pleijsier Bouw to carry out separate interior finishes, in the form of skirting boards and corner lines. This approach, combined with the pleasant cooperation, has now led to a nice follow-up project: the new construction of residential tower The Dialogue on the Wenckenbachweg in Amsterdam.”
All residential floors in residential tower Nova have triple glazing with a Uwindow of ≤0.6 W/m2K. “Because the glass is highly solar control (g-factor = 0.3), heating of the homes in the summer is prevented,” Van Wijk said. “For the curtain walls, the Kawneer AA 100 system was chosen. Special about these curtain walls is particularly the color. Whereas the window frames were given the standard anodized dark bronze color, the special AluRed04 was chosen for the curtain walls. This gives the commercial plinth even more cachet.” In October 2023, Facédo assembled the final curtain walls.
