Platform on new construction, renovation, restoration and transformation
The more than ninety employees at construction company JG Timmer have been bringing unique construction projects to life for nearly twenty years. They manage everything in-house, from design to completion, and their projects range from offices to fire stations, event halls, retail spaces, and luxury villas. In recent years, JG Timmer has completed numerous impressive projects in residential construction, non-residential construction, agricultural construction, concrete construction, and interior design. With the new construction of the Reformed Congregation (GerGem) Church in Kesteren, the company is also adding a second church project to its extensive portfolio.
The new construction project in Kesteren includes a distinctive church hall with approximately 1,750 seats, various ancillary spaces, a gathering hall, and facilities for youth programs and catechism classes. The design by the architectural firm Born combines a traditional aesthetic with modern construction techniques, focusing on sustainability, functionality, and comfort. In October 2024, Reverend De Wit drove the first pile for the new building, and last July, the spire was installed. Together with René van Amersfoort, project manager at JG Timmer, we take stock of this extraordinary construction project, which is scheduled for completion in early Q2 2026.
“Building a church isn’t something you just do,” Van Amersfoort begins. “Even if you’re a construction company with experience across all sectors, experience in church construction is a must. Fortunately, we were able to provide a strong reference, because in 2023 and 2024 we had already built the OGGIN Church in nearby Ochten. The GerGem Church board visited that church and asked about their experiences, which led to us being invited to participate in the bidding process. We seized this opportunity with both hands. Because the GerGem Church is located in our village and we ourselves are connected to the Christian community, we feel a special sense of commitment. Several of our colleagues are also members of this congregation.”
“What makes building a church unique is the coordination involved,” says Van Amersfoort. “Because this is a building by and for the community, we have to work with various committees that don’t always have a background in architecture. We also have to coordinate with the church council, which makes the final decisions. That can sometimes make the process complex. The time required for all this coordination can sometimes clash with the fast pace of construction, but it does ensure that what we’re creating has broad support. Our expertise and ambition are highly valued and, moreover, are becoming increasingly visible.”
A key architectural feature is the sheer scale of the systems, which has a major impact on the construction work. “That’s why the engineering for these systems needs to be planned much earlier in the process.” As an example, Van Amersfoort cites the more than two hundred ventilation outlets in the floor of the church hall, which ensure a pleasant indoor climate during services. “All of these ventilation outlets require cutouts, which must be carefully coordinated with the flooring supplier.”
“The bidding process took place at the DO level,” he explains. “This means that many working drawings were still missing. This, too, required effective coordination, alignment, and guidance—areas in which we once again took responsibility. Because in a project like the GerGem Church, every detail has to be just right.”
The new Gergem Church is built on prefabricated piles and foundation beams. “These foundation beams were installed at an angle so that churchgoers can see the pastor from their pews,” said Van Amersfoort. “Insulated hollow-core slabs rest on top of the foundation beams, while a steel structure was chosen for the main load-bearing framework.” Once this is complete, the church will be further constructed using sand-lime brick. “For the church hall, on the other hand, a timber-frame construction was chosen, with specific details to ensure proper building physics. What’s unique here is that all timber-frame construction is engineered and prefabricated at our own HSB factory in Kesteren. So we are not only a general contractor but also a supplier.” In total, JG Timmer is constructing approximately 1,500 m² of timber-frame walls and 2,200 m² of timber-frame roof structure, harmonizing structural requirements with aesthetics.
The interior of the church hall will be fitted with insulated false walls and stucco, with niches installed around the rafters. This will allow the rafter pattern to remain clearly visible through the roof, according to Van Amersfoort. “For the exterior facades, we opted for traditional random-bond masonry, combined with prefabricated masonry around the arched window frames. This creates a beautiful balance of quality, construction speed, and aesthetics in this area as well.” To ensure the facades are properly airtight, volunteers from the GerGerm Church are applying airtight tape. They have also helped install the construction fences and are laying the floor coverings, making this a project that is truly supported and carried out collectively.
