Platform on new construction, renovation, restoration and transformation
At the entrance to Strijp-S stands Lighthouse. The almost 110 meters high residential tower received a masonry facade, remarkable for this height. For the staggered facades PohlCon Benelux Construction Support B.V. designed several variants of facade supports. According to general manager Michiel Huisstede the profit was mainly in early thinking, digital design and a tight delivery schedule.
“This was a project with so many technical challenges that we thought about the design early on,” Huisstede says. “The erratic contours, the many staggered lines and the detailing in the brickwork made the facade complex, especially because of the height. So the collaboration with contractor combination Stam + De Koning Bouw and Visser en Smit Bouw began as early as the preparation phase. That is the ideal working method for us. During construction, you then have few surprises and everything runs smoothly.”
The facade is traditional brickwork. Masonry moves due to temperature differences. “The exterior facade has to deal with heat and cold, while the interior structure remains constant in terms of temperature. You have to accommodate that difference,” explains Huisstede. PohlCon Benelux (formerly: Jordahl Benelux) supplied masonry supports; steel systems on which the masonry rests. This enabled horizontal dilatations every two building layers all around, so that the masonry can expand without cracking. Masonry support was also required at the large facade openings.
Because of the custom work, software-driven design was leading, including BIM modeling. “The quality of this project is demonstrably better thanks to 3D modeling, because you can see it in advance,” he said. Logistics were broken down into many partial deliveries, smoothly coordinated with the executives, so that materials arrived at the cramped inner-city construction site exactly on time.
Lighthouse is a strong reference project for PohlCon. “This is the tallest traditionally masonry tower we have worked on,” says PohlCon. That height brought additional structural requirements. “Projects like this you have once every few years. Then everything has to be right from the start.”
