'Give light space'

Facade builder J.M. van Delft & zn of Drunen was commissioned by Kondor Wessels Amsterdam to show that it has mastered the interplay between light and space, which is central to the residential tower designed by ZZDP Architects, like no other. 

The family business, which specializes in the development, production, delivery and assembly of aluminum and steel window frames and other facade elements, knows how to completely unburden its client. Thus, at an early stage, together with the main contractor, they were able to identify all possible bottlenecks in the assembly process and were able to anticipate them. This has ensured that the actual assembly process, which is now in full swing, is running smoothly. Among other things, J.M. van Delft & zn had special glass and frame trestles made, for the purpose of supplying the floors via the scaffolding. "Due to the floor-to-ceiling glazing, the regular way was unfortunately not possible. This is why we worked out a suitable solution together before the assembly began," says Albert Emmers, project manager at J.M. van Delft & zn. "This allowed everyone on the construction site to carry out their work without stress and enabled us to meet the lead time per floor as agreed."

The final weeks of assembling nearly 12,000 m2 of aluminum window frames have now begun. One challenge ahead is the assembly of the frames with exterior glazing. These will be installed floor by floor when the scaffolding is taken down one floor at a time. Because the residential tower comprises as many as 24 floors, a so-called "equalizer" mounted on a crane is being used at this great height. All in all, a challenging job at great height, but with a fantastic result.