Crossover Amsterdam: a strong feat of engineering

On the Zuidas in Amsterdam, construction is underway on Crossover; an iconic and sustainable building with an exciting mix of living, working and social services. The building, designed by Team V Architecture, will have its own character on each side. A well-thought-out facade grid will ensure a clear whole. Various systems from Leebo Intelligent Building Systems will be used for the facade, such as LeeBrick®, LeeBond® and LeeFrame®.

"The façade is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also the epitome of strong engineering," says Geert van Sommeren, project manager at Leebo. "We were involved in this project at an early stage, translating the architect's aesthetic requirements into a sustainable and functional design for contractor BAM Speciale Projecten. Together we went through all the principle details. We then created a 3D/Revit design for the facades and coordinated with all relevant construction parties. We also made a mock-up at an early stage."

Leebo is responsible for the engineering, drawing, production, delivery and on-the-job assembly of the double-shell (metal framed) wall elements for the office part of Crossover, as well as the complete aesthetic finishing with prefabricated stone strip elements. "At the basis of the MSB elements are our own steel profiles, which are pre-fabricated in advance and in our own factory in Nieuwkuijk with all the necessary provisions for brackets and typesetting," said Van Sommeren. "Then the profiles are formed into a U- or C-shape and assembled. Both the inside and outside are provided with cement-bonded plates to make the element fire-resistant. In addition, the element is fitted with the appropriate insulation and foil. Before they are transported to the construction site, the so-called LeeFrame® elements are fitted with set frames and aluminum frames from Alkondor."

The LeeFrame® elements of 11 meters long and 3.5 meters high are assembled during the first round of assembly and by Leebo's own assembly crew, after which the building is immediately wind and watertight and the interior finishing can start. Synchronous to this phase, the finishing of the facade starts for Leebo. "Here too we work with a steel frame, on which a primer plate is applied," says Van Sommeren. "On top of this plate we glue over 600,000 Stonecycle stone strips, in over 100 different sizes. Because the strips are glued in a conditioned environment, according to a jointly drawn up work plan, high quality is guaranteed. Each component in this facade is given a unique number so that both assembly in our factory and assembly on construction can proceed flawlessly." For the finish around the aluminum frames, Leebo applies frames of LeeBond®. All frames will be invisibly attached. The facade will be completed before the 2023 construction vacations.