Weener XL combines the best of wood and aluminum

On the Oude Vlijmseweg 200 in 's-Hertogenbosch, the new business premises of Weener XL were officially opened on October 7, 2023. Weener XL is the work and development company of the municipality of 's-Hertogenbosch and is passionately committed to people who need support in the labor market. Creating equal opportunities in the area of subsistence security is central to the social organization.

Weener XL works according to the principle 'no waste, no scrap' and this was also the starting point for the new building. Circular resources and materials have been used wherever possible, with wood playing a leading role. Not surprisingly, because wood is durable and versatile and creates a warm, natural look. Following the supporting structure, the building finishes are also largely made of wood. The aluminum-wood curtain walls of Alwiti B.V. match this perfectly.

Aluminum-wood curtain wall

Alwiti B.V. develops, produces and assembles aluminum windows, doors, sliding doors and curtain walls, aluminum-wood curtain walls and bamboo facades for utility construction, residential construction and private market. The profiles for the systems are mainly supplied by SAPA, a brand of Hydro Building Systems Netherlands BV. "Together with SAPA, we already developed an aluminum-wood curtain wall about fifteen years ago, which combines the best properties of wood and aluminum," said Wim Stigter, owner of Alwiti B.V. "The construction of the combined curtain wall consists of laminated wood, while an aluminum curtain wall profile is added on the outside." SAPA supplies its Elegance 52 profile for this purpose, which is distinguished by an elegant appearance width of only 52 mm. This makes the curtain wall look like wood from the inside, while users benefit from excellent wind and water tightness as well as minimal maintenance.

30 minutes fire resistant

In the factory of Alwiti B.V. in Dordrecht, the aluminum-wood curtain walls for Weener XL were assembled under the best climatic and working conditions. "Following the wind and water tightness, explicit attention was paid to fire resistance, resulting in an EI and EW of 30 minutes," Stigter says. "The combined curtain walls were transported in manageable elements and by low-loaders to the construction site, where they were directly assembled and glazed with triple glass."

3,000 m2 aluminum-wood curtain wall

Commissioned by contractor Dura Vermeer Bouw Zuid, nearly 3,000 m2 of aluminum-wood curtain wall was installed. "At the level of the entrances, spans of as much as 7 meters were realized in one piece," Stigter said. "Thanks to an innovative construction, we were also able to completely conceal the solar screens in the aluminum cover frames." Not for nothing was Weener XL nominated twice for a SAPA Award 2024.

Hydro CIRCAL 75R

Underlying the SAPA profiles in 's-Hertogenbosch is the Hydro CIRCAL 75R alloy, which incorporates 82.1% post-consumer scrap and has a CO2 footprint of only 1.9 kg CO2 per kg aluminum, says Marc van den Nieuwenhof, Area Manager at SAPA. "Post-consumer scrap mainly includes old windows, doors and facade systems that have reached the end of their technical lifespan. The aluminum is spread across two production sites in Europe fragmented, sorted and processed/melted into a new alloy for the production of new aluminum building systems. Without sacrificing quality and material properties." Hydro CIRCAL 100R, which has a CO2 footprint of less than 0.5 kg CO2, is now also available on request.

Close-the-loop

High-quality recycling of post-consumer aluminum has long been core business of Hydro Building Systems Netherlands BV. "What is new is that we will now also be buying up post-consumer and pre-consumer scrap from our customers under our own management," says Van den Nieuwenhof. "This again makes us a pioneer in the market and allows us to involve our relations even more actively in our circular ambition. Moreover, we can let them experience how valuable aluminum scrap actually is."

Buying post-consumer scrap in-house ensures a steady supply of valuable aluminum scrap, he says. "The in-house procurement of post-consumer scrap also gives the opportunity to give large volumes of aluminum an equivalent second life. In doing so, we guarantee that old aluminum windows become new aluminum windows again, old aluminum doors become new aluminum doors again and old aluminum facades become new aluminum facades again. Our supply chain is clear, transparent and comprehensible to everyone and can be traced perfectly to the source. This is how we complete the sustainability circle."