Platform on new construction, renovation, restoration and transformation
On the former Pionier-Bol site in Nieuw-Vennep, Bolspark is taking shape step by step. The area development will include hundreds of new homes, surrounded by a green, largely car-free environment. For construction blocks 5 and 6, SWINN is responsible for the structural design and supervision during construction. The history beneath the ground, in particular, makes the project interesting.
“We are designing the entire structural system for both buildings,” says Bert Offringa of the engineering firm SWINN. “We design, calculate, draw, and model everything, and we assist the contractor with structural issues during construction.”
Block 5 consists of apartments with commercial space on the ground floor. Block 6 combines apartments with single-family homes arranged around a courtyard garden. For both buildings, in consultation with contractor De Raad Bouw, a similar construction system was chosen for both blocks, featuring cast-in-place concrete walls and wide-slab floors. The buildings will have cast-in-place foundations with precast concrete piles.
According to Offringa, the biggest challenge lies below ground level. There are still factory buildings on the site that will first have to be demolished. Old basements and foundations must also be removed. “There are still existing piles in the ground, which in some places get in the way of the new pile foundation. They cannot be reused due to their load-bearing capacity. Furthermore, they could be damaged during demolition. Therefore, the design of the new pile foundation must take the existing piles into account. This makes the foundation complex in certain areas.” SWINN also supports De Raad Bouw with detailed engineering as needed during construction.
This collaboration didn’t come out of nowhere. SWINN previously worked with De Raad Bouw on projects including a large housing development in Leiden. Offringa is particularly enthusiastic about Bolspark as an overall plan. The various residential blocks will be situated in a green setting, which will largely remove cars from the streetscape and resolve parking issues on the outskirts. “You’re building a large number of homes—for which there is a great need—right in the heart of Nieuw-Vennep on a former industrial site. A truly pleasant living environment is taking shape here. That’s what makes it so special to be able to contribute to a development like this.”
