Platform on new construction, renovation, restoration and transformation
The east and west facade of The Muse of Rotterdam are executed in anthracite gray prefabricated elements of architectural concrete. Behind this sleek facade with repeating window pattern is a lot of knowledge and craftsmanship of Decomo.
Decomo is a Belgian manufacturer of prefabricated elements in architectural concrete. Since November 2016, Decomo has been involved in the development of The Muse to help think about the image and execution of the anthracite-gray facades. Color retention, efficiency and lines are the main concerns.
Dark, durable color
"We ensure that the concrete facades still have the same color after ten years," says Area Sales Manager Werner Hulstaert of Decomo. "We formulate the decorative concrete based on a dark gray Portland cement. This concrete further includes a basalt gravel and Jasberg granite sand; aggregates that are already naturally dark and colorfast. With a minimum of pigment, we thus arrived at the desired color." To get the sand visible on the surface of the concrete, Decomo applied an etching process. This involves treating the concrete with hydrochloric acid, which dissolves the calcareous components. This gives the elements a dark, durable color. "Like looking at natural stone," says Hulstaert. He emphasizes, "There are strict rules attached to the etching of concrete in Belgium, as in the Netherlands. Decomo has traditionally specialized in this technique and, with an ISO 14001 certificate, complies with all regulations."
Sandwich element as an end wall
The tower of The Muse was realized with tunneling. The end walls would initially be poured on site. These would then still need to be fitted with insulation, cladding and windows on site. To limit the construction work on site, Decomo developed a custom made sandwich element of architectural concrete at the request of Smit's Bouwbedrijf. This element was placed in the tunnel system as an end wall and directly included in the shell construction. Hulstaert: "In cooperation with the facade partners, we included the facades and windows in the elements. We delivered the elements turnkey to the construction site."
Complex connections and alignments
On the sloping sections under the tower, Smit's Bouwbedrijf is mounting single-scale elements of Decomo. These elements are also made of anthracite-gray architectural concrete. A point of attention here are the complex connections and alignments. "We produced these parts based on the 3D model of Adviesburo Snijders," says Hulstaert. He concludes, "With the assembly almost complete, we can say that we have brought the iconic design of The Muse to life. We and all parties involved can be proud of that."
