Develop and build a quality piece of The Hague

On the Dedemsvaartweg in The Hague, on the site of three former flats, the three new apartment buildings of Tré Volte are rising. This friendly and contemporary residential ensemble not only provides space for 141 pleasant apartments, but also gives a considerable quality boost to the neighborhood.   

Text | Patricia van der Beek    Image | Plein Couleur

The redevelopment project includes two buildings with a total of 90 rental apartments and one building with 51 owner-occupied apartments. Wijkontwikkelingsmaatschappij (WOM) Den Haag Zuidwest put the project on the market as a Design & Build contract. De Vries en Verburg and Spring architects were awarded the contract.

Develop and build

"We are carrying out this project as a developing builder," explains project manager Hans Rozendaal of De Vries and Verburg. "Among other things, we handled the RO procedure, the permit process and the environmental management. The construction work, which we are doing in a construction team context, is in full swing." Guido Jongebreur, project manager on behalf of De Vries en Verburg, adds, "The fact that we are both developing and building benefits the quality and the process. I am responsible for execution, but have been involved from the beginning. As a result, the transition from development to realization phase was very smooth."

Optimal value for money

De Vries en Verburg is realizing the owner-occupied apartments at risk and challenged itself and the construction team partners to come up with a residential product with an optimal price-quality ratio. "We went looking for a cost-efficient design that was right on all sides," says Rozendaal. "In doing so, we made optimal use of all the knowledge and expertise within the construction team. At the same time, we wanted to offer quality. Among other things, this led to the decision to build porch apartments instead of gallery apartments." Jongebreur adds, "The buildings are L-shaped and have height differences. This gives the ensemble a dynamic character. In addition, the blended masonry and white window frames with a slightly set-back colored calf create a playful facade image."

Format and layout

Both in design and layout, the three buildings are nearly identical. Each has a basement with storage areas. The number of residential floors, the first of which is one and a half meters above ground level, ranges from four to six floors. "The rental apartments are arranged according to the WOM's Program of Requirements," says Rozendaal. "Characteristic of the owner-occupied apartments is that kitchen and living room are integrated. Furthermore, the buyer has various layout possibilities and additional options." Due to the corona measures, the buyers could not attend the start of the
construction present. To celebrate this moment with each other anyway, organized  De Vries and Verburg an online launch event.

Like a train

The buildings are underpinned with mortar screw piles formed in the ground and have a cast-in-place basement. The residential floors are constructed with sand-lime brick and wide slab floors, and the precast balcony slabs are included in the shell construction. The facades are finished with traditional brickwork and plastic window frames, and the apartments will have Ytong walls. Jongebreur: "We carried out the piling and the cellars in one go for all the buildings. During the structural work, we started with the rental blocks. When we reached the fourth floor, we started with the sales block. By phasing in this way, the completion is now literally running like clockwork. Moreover, it gave us ourselves time to take stock of the buyers' wishes."

Meanwhile, fully on schedule, the facades of the rental blocks have been completed. De Vries en Verburg is expected to complete the shell construction of the owner-occupied apartments by the end of this year.

Project info

More than supplying building materials

On almost every construction project, De Vries en Verburg works together with Bouwcenter Esselink from Middelharnis. So too on Tré Volte, the redevelopment project of Wijkontwikkelingsmaatschappij (WOM) Den Haag Zuidwest. Here Bouwcenter Esselink is supplying the sand-lime brick elements, mortars, wool and PIR insulation, facing bricks and roof hatches.

"When it comes to supplying building materials, we like to go the extra mile," says commercial director Geerd Simons of Bouwcenter Esselink. "For this project, for example, we made a proposal for the exterior envelope, including cavity insulation calculations and advice for the facing bricks. Together with the architect and plan developer, we visited the showroom of brick manufacturer Wienerberger. There we chose a wasserstrich facing brick in a brown and a slightly lighter color. This brick type has a smooth, planed and unsanded surface texture and contributes to a playful facade appearance. A white-bright solid brick brings accents to the facade. In total, we supply 600,000 facing bricks."

Short lines, fixed contact person

Bouwcenter Esselink delivers building materials on demand. Short lines of communication with Wienerberger and others ensure that the products arrive at the building site at the right time. Simons: "For the De Vries en Verburg projects we have a fixed contact person. He knows all project managers, planners and supervisors and coordinates deliveries directly with them. As on every project, this cooperation runs like clockwork."

Project info

From wall socket to solar panel

In the three apartment buildings of Tré Volte in The Hague, Kosinus Elektrotechniek is responsible for all electrical installations. Besides the engineering and installation of all electrics in the apartments, the Stolwijk-based installation company takes care of the intercom system, the solar panels, the charging stations for electric cars and the installation work in the storerooms.

"We are performing this work on behalf of De Vries en Verburg," says Kosinus' owner Koos de Jong. "As a regular partner, we have been involved in the project from the beginning to think along from an electrical engineering point of view. We don't have any major challenges here, but as with any high-rise complex, we do have to deal with general facilities that have to go from downstairs to upstairs. And from the solar panels there are installations running downstairs. You have to think about that carefully in the engineering phase." With the owner-occupied homes, there are several layout options to choose from. Kosinus also thought about this from an electrical engineering point of view.

Continuous progress

In October 2019, when the first floors were installed, Kosinus started installing. "Since then, our installations have been a regular part in the train of works," says De Jong. "This work is seamlessly coordinated and carried out on a tight schedule. All parties know exactly what is expected of them and when, and stick to it. That works perfectly. Meanwhile, in the two rental blocks, we are in the process of finishing the wall sockets and switches. Every two to three weeks we turn in the structural work of the purchase block. If we continue at this pace, the rental apartments will be ready for us by the end of this year. The owner-occupied apartments we expect to complete next summer."

Project info

'Hot water bubble is perfect for heating and hot water'

As a construction team partner of De Vries en Verburg, Klimaatservice Holland is involved in the Tré Volte redevelopment project on the Dedemsvaartweg in The Hague. In the realization of the three new apartment buildings, the installation specialist is taking care of the climate installations. In collaboration with Dorst Installatietechniek BV, Klimaatservice Holland is also supplying and installing the plumbing.

"An important starting point is the EPC value of 0.4 to be achieved," explains project manager Kees Pille of Klimaatservice Holland. "To this end, we are applying a ventilation system with heat recovery, as well as a rather unique form of ground heat. In the soil is a hot water bubble from which heat is extracted for the entire district; so also for heating and hot water in the apartments."

Proper temperature

"The unique thing about the hot water bubble is that it has a temperature of 80°C," Pille continued. "That's perfect for achieving hot water and heating. With most hot-water bubbles, the temperature is too high, which means you have to adjust. That is virtually unnecessary on this project." The tapping of the bubble lies with Eneco, which also takes care of the distribution network in the buildings and the delivery/assembly of the delivery sets. Pille: "We provide the apartments with underfloor heating, hot water, cold water and ventilation."

Rough construction almost complete

Since February 2020, Klimaatservice Holland has been participating in the shell construction of the three towers. In this phase, the main work consists of installing the piping in the concrete floors. Pille: "Due to good cooperation and coordination within the construction team, the work is progressing well. At the moment, the first two towers are wind and watertight. Completion is scheduled for February next year."