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2Amsterdam: battling through some difficult circumstances

How is the metamorphosis of the two towers of 2Amsterdam taking shape? ‘Thanks to a strict coronavirus working protocol, we’ve been able to continue making good progress in recent months,’ says project leader Ilja van Dalsem.

‘To start with, we had a few employees who fell ill. Or they had family members who were ill, which prevented them from coming to the construction site’, says Van Dalsem, who works for the main contractor, J.P. van Eesteren. ‘One of the subcontractors employs Romanian people. But they chose to stay here instead of going back to their home country. We were very pleased about that, because that meant we could continue working on the structure of the office. Those builders are responsible for creating all the floor supports in the office tower. It was also unclear whether certain products from abroad would still be delivered on time. But fortunately, with a few exceptions, it looks like everything is coming together.’

On the left the hotel, on the right the office

Three sub-projects

What’s so special about 2Amsterdam is that it actually involves three sub-projects, in which the existing building will be given a completely new look. Work on converting the old AkzoNobel building into a hotel is almost complete. The old Stibbe tower will continue to be an office, but will be extended on 11 floors at the sides and at the front and rear. And the third sub-project is the underground parking garage with three storeys. ‘I really enjoyed working on this garage’, says Van Dalsem. ‘The building rests on such huge foundations, so it involved a lot of work, teamwork and headaches.’ The parking garage will connect the two buildings underground, and the structural work is already finished in technical terms. ‘We’re still finishing off the parking garage. We’re currently installing fire detectors, sprinklers and lighting. An important step, of course, because users of the office or the hotel can’t use the car park without those.’

The office building (left) will be ready in mid-2021

Hotel and office

Then there is the hotel tower, which will be the first of the two towers to be completed in December 2020. Van Dalsem: ‘This is also progressing fairly well given the circumstances. We are now working downwards from the upper floors. At the end of May, we’ll start work on creating the hotel rooms themselves. That will take around ten weeks, because there are 328 rooms altogether. The Skybar is already starting to take shape, too. It will give people magnificent views over Amsterdam.’ The second of 2Amsterdam’s towers which is under construction is the office tower, which will be completed in mid-2021. Van Dalsem: ‘We’re working on a new roof structure which will house the building’s technical facilities. We’re also building the extension on the eighth floor. Four more floors will be added on top of that.’. Unlike the hotel, where Van Dalsem’s team is already a lot further, the real structural work is still going on in the office building, with pouring the concrete being a particularly important job. ‘That’s what makes this project so interesting.’

Workers enjoy a great view over Amsterdam

Milestones

So what milestones are Van Dalsem and his team working towards next? ‘At the end of July we will complete the structural work for the office building. But we can’t promise anything because at the moment we don’t know what the next few weeks and months will bring. Another process is creating the hotel rooms, which we’re now starting. The nice thing is that you can really see the hotel taking shape, because as a contractor you are not always involved in this final stage. And the last milestone I should mention will be in mid-September. The aim is to finish the outer façade of the office section completely around then. Then, you’ll be able to see the building as the architect intended it to look. So there’s plenty to look forward to.’

The 2Amsterdam new-build and renovation project was commissioned by Commerz Real and project developer Provast. You can see more photos of this project on our Flickr page.

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