Natural stone for cladding comes from South Africa

Commissioned by BAM, natural stone specialist Van Stokkum went looking for a suitable solution for the cladding of the facade and the realization of the stairs and floors for the City Office in Tilburg.

Text | Johan Debaere  Image | DEDRIE Architects

"I was asked 3 years ago by BAM to participate in the tender for this renovation project. In May 2017 we submitted an initial tender and in March 2018 the contract followed," says director Twan Smedts. "We bought the Nero Afrika Impala for the cladding from a supplier near Johannesburg, with whom we have been working for more than 20 years. He was able to guide us perfectly to minimize the impact of the color differences. We had the blocks partially polished so that we could see the color in advance and achieve a homogeneous facade. That consists of slabs between 1.5 and 1.92 m wide and 1.6 and 2.2 m high - on the first floor even 1.76 and 2.45 m."

The concrete structure of the existing facade showed many unevennesses, which were repaired by the contractor. The dimensional differences were accommodated by a special facade construction system between the underlying structure and the new insulation shell. "Our engineer/modeler Roy de Jong took care of the preparatory work in 3D. We started production of the elements at the beginning of 2019 and the entire project should be completed this year. We worked with 12 to 14 people on the facade elements and a team of four realized the floors and stairs," Smedts concludes. "We were in charge of the design, engineering and production, while the assembly was done by specialized firms. This was a difficult job that was technically completed to our satisfaction."

Project info

New elevator systems for renovation project

Tilburg's municipal offices are undergoing a complete makeover, which includes replacing the elevator systems. Contractor BAM called on Orona, a specialist in the design, manufacture, installation, maintenance and modernization of elevators, escalators and moving walkways.

"We have worked with BAM more often in the past, but we recently signed a framework contract that now makes us one of the regular partners for the integration and modernization of elevator systems in new construction and renovation projects," states technical commercial consultant Hans Boekraad. "This is a first resulting project."

In this renovation, the building partners faced many challenges, including with the elevator systems. In the core of the building, three elevators with a speed of 1.6 m/sec and a load of 1,275 kg were provided side by side, serving all floors. In addition, a 1,000 kg shuttle elevator with stops in the basement and on the ground floor and two freight elevators were provided. "We spent quite a while on this project. For example, we had to check whether the shafts were straight and during assembly we also had to deal with moisture," Boekraad explains. "Moreover, although the inside of the elevators is finished in standard stainless steel, architect and client chose natural stone for the floor and exterior finish."