Prefab walls and fixed logistics keep project organized

Installation work on fast track in tight downtown area

Tackling an entire residential block in the middle of Amsterdam Oud-Zuid, while every home is different and space is tight: that requires a team that is not only technically strong, but also tightly organized. Breman Kampen is a fixed value in this. As the installation partner of Coen Hagedoorn, it is working porch by porch on the Vlietstraat renovation. A project with history, pace and a lot of logistical puzzle work.

Breman Kampen is part of the Breman Group. As business manager, Jeroen Thalen is responsible for the commercial process within Breman Kampen. “We specialize in renovation and transformation,” he says. “From sewerage to solar panels and for housing corporations and property owners throughout the country.” So does Coen Hagedoorn. That collaboration goes back some ten years. As a result, lines of communication are short and trust is high. “We have been strong partners for years. We are well matched and work together very efficiently.”

259 homes, 100 housing types, one tight plan

Project Manager Wesley Abbas leads the project with a steady tight-knit executive team. “This is a challenging project,” he states. “We are delivering a total of 259 apartments, whereas previously there were 200. By splitting the apartments, it is possible to create more apartments in the same location. There are almost a hundred different apartment types among them. That makes it challenging as well as fun.”

To make pace, Breman Kampen works prefab as much as possible. “We use ready-made walls,” Abbas explains. “In Kampen, we put all the installations in there. From kitchen wall to toilet conversion and complete ‘electrical pins’. Then these go to the construction site. That saves an enormous amount of time as well as hands on the construction site.” This approach is necessary. The construction site is limited and the throughput high. “We agreed on fixed logistical moments in advance. With 80 to 100 people in total on a tight site, where everyone needs materials or a parking space, you just have to plan very tightly.”

Strong together in a complex monument

The triangle of client Rochdale, main contractor Coen Hagedoorn and installation partner Breman Kampen works exactly as intended, according to Thalen. “We really pull together. The contractors know each other well and work one on one. That gives peace of mind and quality.” For both men, the pride is mainly in the progress. “The planning stands like a house,” Abbas says. “Because we standardize everything as much as possible on the front end, we keep failure costs low and the pace high. That works tremendously well.” The permanent executive team at Breman Kampen is also well attuned to each other, which allows a complex project like this to run smoothly.

Renovating a monumental complex and making it future-proof: the team at Breman Kampen would like to contribute to smart construction and installation work.