Rotterdam's most beautiful building is ready for the future

The beautiful facades of the monumental World Museum in Rotterdam had to be preserved. This is not to say, however, that they should not meet contemporary standards. After renovation, the entire building must be burglar-resistant in accordance with NEN standards and meet the latest fire resistance requirements.

To make the museum fireproof, the building is divided into compartments. Stalku Gevel-techniek installs the fire-resistant steel doors in profile system 'Forster', which separate the compartments. To make the building wheelchair-friendly, Stalku Geveltechniek also installs a large number of electric door closers and door indicators. Another major challenge is to make the facade windows burglar-resistant. "The existing beautiful, slim steel frames had to be retained," says Jeroen Boeters, director of Stalku Geveltechniek. "So changing or adding weight to these exterior frames was not an option. To still meet contemporary standards, we partnered with a specialized profile supplier. This resulted in interior steel front frames with the 'RP Fineline' profile. These profiles are very slim, meet the set requirements and can be bent at the top. We glazed these front windows with P6B glass, providing even better burglary protection."

The slim steel window frames have been retained.

All the work is tied to a very tight schedule. After all, the opening of the museum will be hosted by Queen Máxima. Boeters: "It is a beautiful project to contribute to. It was a challenge for our engineers, but the result is impressive. The monumental facade has retained its appearance and the entire complex is ready for the future according to current regulations."