Building 127 student homes at pace

Construction hoardings have already been installed on the plot next to The Pulse of Amsterdam, and foundation works will begin in mid-April. One year later, around April 2027, residential building Benten is expected to be ready for occupation. Project manager Niek Kerkhof Jonkman of Plegt-Vos explains how 127 social housing units can be delivered within a year: ‘The key is industrialised construction.’

Because much of the work takes place indoors, weather conditions are no longer a major factor: ‘At temperatures of minus 10 degrees Celsius, for example, you cannot lay tiles on site. In the factory, temperature and weather are never an issue. Working under controlled conditions allows us to deliver consistent and predictable quality.’ According to Kerkhof Jonkman, there is another advantage: ‘On a worksite, you usually only hear music and whistling when the weather is good. In our factory, you hear that all year round.’

Factory-based production also reduces CO2 emissions, thanks to fewer transport movements (everything is produced in one location) and less waste (due to precise, automated construction). In addition, residential building Benten will feature prefabricated timber-frame walls and window frames produced by Plegt-Vos from FSC-certified timber. ‘These are renewable materials that have been sustainably produced’, Kerkhof Jonkman explains. Additionally, because much of the construction is completed in the factory, fewer workers are required on site.