Elegance and soft lines thanks to surrounding white cement balconies
Production of the prefabricated concrete elements for the Amsteltower with self-compacting concrete
At 103 meters, the Amsteltower is the tallest residential building in Amsterdam. Even from a distance, the very slender silhouette seen from the historic city center is striking. The skyscraper is given particular elegance by surrounding, partly rounded balconies made of prefabricated concrete elements with Dyckerhoff WEISS. This creates a gentle contrast to the surrounding linear high-rise buildings.
The company HCI Concrete Industry from Hengelo was able to secure the order to produce the prefabricated parts for the balconies. On the basis of Dyckerhoff WEISS Strong N 52.5 N and the use of limestone powder, a self-compacting concrete was made, from which the finished parts were poured. The surface of the precast elements remained smooth. The slip resistance prescribed for the treads was implemented by profiling the surfaces.
The self-compacting version of the concrete has been widely used in Dutch precast plants for many years. In this way, a high quality exposed concrete is achieved with surfaces free of pores and voids. The self-compacting production of the concretes has significant advantages for the employees in the plant, since the noise level in the halls is significantly lower due to the lack of compaction with vibration tables.
The new skyscraper has a total of 32 floors and is located right next to Amsterdam Amstel train station. There is a medium-high podium below the residential tower, in which a large hotel is housed. This part of the building also looks light and elegant thanks to white cement balconies. The area around Amstel Station is currently being developed into a lively new district as part of a comprehensive infrastructure upgrade.
The architecture of the Amstel Tower comes from the Rotterdam office Powerhouse Company. The skyscraper was completed in 2018.
(Fotos 1-4: Egbert de Boer, Fotos 5-7: Dyckerhoff)