Old Neduco flats in a new, sustainable look

Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. These are the names of the four renovated apartments on Jacob Romanstraat and Daniel Marotstraat in Breda. Commissioned by WonenBreburg, Van Wijnen Rosmalen upgraded these sixty-year-old residential buildings. The contractor commissioned IJsselmonde to install the exterior facade insulation system.

The flats are so-called Neduco flats. They were built in the 1960s according to the Neduco system, a modular construction system with prefabricated concrete façade elements. This allowed rapid construction in response to the housing shortage. "In the 1980s, the flats were already renovated once," explains chief executive Willem van Orsouw of Van Wijnen. "The renovation we carried out was necessary to make the flats future-proof again. All 192 apartments are now gas-free and equipped with new bathrooms, kitchens and toilets. They also have new window frames and front doors, a new meter box and mechanical ventilation. In addition, each home has four solar panels. We also renovated the entrance and refurbished the porches and galleries. On the outside, the flats were given a new layer of insulation and finishing."

Stone strips and stucco

"On the end walls and on the facades on the balcony side, we applied the exterior wall insulation system Sto Therm Classic," explains Jacco Oostenbrug of IJsselmonde. "This system is ideally suited to preserve and beautify existing buildings. It is composed of an adhesive layer, an insulation package, a stress distribution layer and façade finishing. On this job, the finishing layer consisted of reddish-brown stone strips in horizontal and upright masonry bond. We provided white stucco for the side walls of the balconies. Together with the gallery side, which is finished with wooden cladding, the stone strips and stucco contribute to the intended facade appearance: quiet and monolithic, but also friendly, colorful and dynamic."

Razor-sharp detail

A detail to which IJsselmonde paid a great deal of attention is the finish of the window frame reveals. This is done in white stucco, which contrasts beautifully with the surrounding stone strips. "In the preparation, this detail caused me some concern," Bas Boere of IJsselmonde explains. "The transition between the stucco and the stone strips had to be razor-sharp. Fortunately, I found a suitable profile for this and we were able to match the architectural image. The result is stunning. I now recommend this detail on other projects as well." 

Good preparation and cooperation

Boere also looks back on the renovation project with satisfaction in terms of cooperation: "Because of the good preparation, in which Van Wijnen involved us early on, we encountered few surprises in the execution." Van Orsouw adds, "It was the first, but certainly not the last time we worked together. Together we will tackle more flats like this."