The Havenkwartier is a reflection of Katendrecht: headstrong and tough, but also cozy and familiar

Living in a new and intimate city quarter, in the heart of peninsula Rotterdam-Katendrecht and on the sturdy quay of the Maashaven. That is living in the Havenkwartier. The project includes the realization of 200 energy-efficient and future-proof homes, in all shapes and sizes and for all stages of life. The design is a reflection of the character of Katendrecht: stubborn and tough, but also cozy and familiar. Playful shapes and a combination of materials such as wood, concrete, aluminum and glass result in a layered and refined design. Facédo aluminum window frames, sliding doors and curtain walls make an important contribution to this.

Commissioned by Heijmans Woningbouw Rotterdam, Facédo delivered, assembled and airtight finished approximately 1,600 (total: 7,512 m2) aluminum window frames and sliding doors in the 164 apartments, 36 single-family houses and a small hospitality area of the Havenkwartier. At the base of the frame elements are Kawneer RT72 Reflex profiles, with a Uwindow of < 1.23 W/m2K. Including toggle multi-point locks and adjustable hinges and locks, the elements comply with air tightness class 4; the highest classification according to NEN-EN 12207. Facédo supplied and installed four aluminum curtain walls (300 m2, Kawneer AA100Q) for the three entrances to the high-rise and the commercial space at the head of the Havenkwartier.

High degree of prefabrication

Facédo was engaged by Heijmans Woningbouw Rotterdam back in 2018. "Together with Sr. Design Manager Martijn van Altena and Development Manager Vita Bolsius of Heijmans, we translated the aesthetic design by VMX Architects into a technically and economically feasible and feasible solution for the facade," says Maikel van Wijk, tender manager at Facédo. "In several places in the high-rise buildings, we replaced the sliding doors with roll-up windows, which are more user-friendly and guarantee better wind and watertight performance. We also paid particular attention to construction logistics. The detailing was modified to allow a high degree of prefabrication. As many frame elements as possible were already built into the HSB elements at the Vianen factory."

Beautiful business card

The Havenkwartier is a nice calling card for Facédo because of its size, diversity and the way the window frames are mounted in the facades, according to Van Wijk. "Prefab is not a goal for us, but a means. Where possible, the frame elements are already built into the HSB elements. For the project section where this approach was not optimal, we delivered the elements prefab glazed. We have now even set up a professional glazing line for this in our new building in Velp, so that the glass can be placed in the frame elements even more efficiently." The main benefit of factory glazing is faster and more efficient construction, he says. "On the construction site, there is no longer any need to pop glass, which improves working comfort and the health of our employees. In addition, pre-glazing is better for the environment because transport movements are saved."

In the places where prefabrication is not practical - such as with very large window frame sizes - the work was carried out on site, says Frank van den Heuvel, project manager at Facédo. "This combined approach was widely supported by the construction team."

Advantages of prefab

A major advantage of prefabrication is that work can be done under the best labor and climate conditions. "This allows us to control quality even better," said Van Wijk. "Mutations are recorded in advance and the elements that are transported to construction no longer contain break glass. An important incentive under the Building Quality Assurance Act (Wkb), which comes into force next year." In addition, prefabrication leads to fewer transport movements to and a shorter lead time on the construction site, Van den Heuvel emphasizes. "To prevent damage during transport and assembly, all elements have been provided with a protective film by us. A felt film was also applied at the passages, protecting window frames and glass until the end of construction."

Permanent construction team

The new construction of the Havenkwartier is being carried out by an established construction team, including Heijmans Woningbouw Rotterdam, Vianen and Facédo. "Together, for example, we also carried out project Cobana, which is a kilometer away," Van Wijk said. "The experiences we gained in this project we took with us to take the Havenkwartier to an even higher level."