The Minister gives Rijswijk skyline a new dynamic

In early October, the highest point was reached of The Minister; a brand new residential building with 310 apartments that will add a new dynamic to the skyline of Rijswijk. On the top 3 floors of this transformation project will be 24 exclusive 'Sky apartments', while floors 16 to 21 are reserved for 66 luxury 'Prime apartments' (for sale). Below that, 220 rental apartments will be furnished. All apartments will have generous outdoor space and maximum privacy. In addition, optimum sustainability will be ensured. On August 6, 2020, Bouwcombinatie The Minister (Kondor Wessels Amsterdam and Kroon & De Koning) started the construction work, overcoming several challenges.

The Minister is being built on the site of the former Winston Churchill Tower, which once housed the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. Here, the old structure of the office building will not be demolished, but reused, says Jurriaan Ernst, one of the two project managers of the construction consortium. "Prior to our work, the old facade was demolished by the company Beelen. We then built a new bay/balcony construction around the existing structure, creating a larger floor area. The bay construction is made up of steel columns and precast concrete floors, which were constructed independently of the existing structure. To support this structure, we created a supplementary foundation with different types of tubular piles at the start of the project. These tubular piles were driven through the basement floor from the first floor."

Height of 85 meters

The old installation floor was removed, allowing 3 additional floors to be added on top of the building. This brings the total height of the building to 85 meters. In addition, the old core of the building is breached so that it can serve as a new corridor zone. "New stability provisions are also necessary for this," Ernst said. "On the lower 14 building levels, stability walls have been poured, which, together with the pressure and tensile walls in the basement, can cope with the wind load of the building."

One challenge is that the construction crew is not allowed to make cutouts for the new corridors until the floor below is structurally sound. "So there is a piece of sequentiality in this. We can't demolish everything at once. Moreover, we first had to realize the necessary through-holes." Ernst emphasizes that it is not easy to fit modern facilities into an existing 1971 building without compromising the construction, ceiling heights and high-quality appearance of the apartments. "On the floors, various provisions will be made, such as beam reinforcements and metal stud ceilings, which should ensure a seamless fit of the installations. Ceiling heights of 2.80 meters and transparent facades from floor to ceiling provide optimal light. Residents will also soon have stunning views of the city and surrounding area."

Sustainable heat and cold generation

Because of the height of the building, a sprinkler system is mandatory, Ernst explains. "A CHP system with heat pumps will provide residents with sustainable heat, hot tap water and - if desired - cooling from the end of 2022/beginning of 2023. Underfloor heating combined with a ventilation system has been chosen as the delivery system. All rental and owner-occupied homes will be finished to a high standard with walls painted or papered, tiling and bathroom, kitchen and toilet (BKT). For this, buyers may choose their own plumbing, floor and tile finishes in a showroom designated by us."

Transparent aluminum frame facade

The facade of The Minister will be finished with a wood-frame cladding and aluminum window frames. "The window frames will be interconnected with aluminum flashing, resulting in a high-quality and transparent aluminum frame facade," Ernst said. "About 1,500 solar panels will be installed on the roof of the residential building and the adjacent parking garage. The two-level parking garage will accommodate 346 cars. For residents' bicycles, bicycle storage will be provided in the basement of the residential building." 

Construction Info

Initiators
Reshape Properties and Wilma Living

Architect
ZZDP Architects

Constructor
Pieters Construction Engineering

Landscape Architect
DELVA Landscape Architects

Contractor
Construction combination The Minister 
(Kondor Wessels Amsterdam and Kroon & De Koning)

CHP plant
Sustainably Connected