The Newton is being revealed step by step

With the sun shining in an almost clear blue sky, life feels good in Gaasterlandstraat, in the Kop Zuidas neighbourhood. For works supervisor Peter Jan ten Hove from construction company Pleijsier Bouw, which is building The Newton residential building boasting 101 apartments, the fine weather is particularly good news. ‘Of course, it feels good on the skin, but even more importantly: the roofers, bricklayers and grouters can continue to work in this weather.’ This is not always possible, especially when it rains. ‘The optimum weather for building is 15 degrees Celsius and a little sun.’ In that respect, the fact that Spring started three days before our visit heralds plenty of promise: after all, The Newton is scheduled for completion in late 2023.

The construction of a building involves a certain work flow, a particular sequence in which things happen. As the concrete support structure (floors, walls and columns) was built, the building grew more or less from the inside-out to reach its highest point – five floors for the lower housing block and eight for the higher one, including the roof. With the building now standing proudly 30 m into the air, the work flow is now starting to trickle, so to speak, over the edges and back down to the bottom. The scaffolding is being removed floor by floor, creating space to finish the façade on each floor. The final touches are also being put to the tiered terraces featuring plant containers (each floor protrudes 1 m further than the floor below it). The removal of the scaffolding is also revealing some fine brickwork – the façade of each floor turns out to feature ruddy-brown bricks placed at angles in a distinctive strip.

Inside, the contractor has started laying the screed floors. The bathroom and toilet floors are made from sand cement and there are anhydrite floors in the corridors and communal areas. Anhydrite is a blend of plaster, sand and water and ideal for transferring heat. This is an important feature since the apartments in The Newton are being fitted with underfloor heating. ‘Another advantage is that anhydrite is delivered ready to use’, adds Ten Hove. ‘That means we don’t waste any time preparing a mixture and can lay quite a few square metres each day.’ The corridors and entrances of the building itself promise to be truly special. There, plastic fished out from the river Maas has been integrated into the flooring: leaving less waste in nature and giving it a useful second life as a raw material for The Newton’s floors.

We previously reported that no two apartments will be the same, which means that almost no prefab materials have been used: this is construction still done in the traditional way. However, the different apartments do have something in common: windows that reach from the floor almost all the way to the tall ceilings: ranging from 3 m high on the top floors to a full 4.5 m on the ground floor. The apartments will also be delivered ready to let, with plastered walls, painted skirting boards, PVC floors and even curtain rails. Some apartments feature outside space in the form of a large balcony. Just a second before we leave the building, Ten Hove says: ‘I wouldn’t give up my garden for anything, but these promise to be really nice apartments.’

The Newton will comprise 101 energy-efficient private sector apartments and 175 sq. m. of space for commercial amenities in the plinth on the ground floor. The building will be gas-free, thanks to the use of a thermal energy storage system (WKO) for heating and cooling. The building is also made of almost 50% circular concrete. In the period ahead, the final touches will be put to the brickwork on the external wall and the scaffolding will be removed as the floors are laid inside and the finishing work can start. The yellow crane will be removed before the construction industry holidays in around late July. The building is scheduled for completion in late 2023.