Facade Cladding Gives MIX Amsterdam Residential Towers Identity and Character
Continuous Lines Result in an Extremely Sleek Facade Appearance
The Osdorpplein city center in Amsterdam Nieuw-West is undergoing major development, with striking projects such as SuHA and Twins. On the site of the former district office, the finishing touches are being applied to MIX Amsterdam, which consists of six residential towers ranging from 29 to approximately 41 meters in height. Together, the towers provide 528 social, mid-range, and private-sector rental apartments surrounding a green courtyard. The ground floor will feature shops, offices, and the art and culture center 'Het Verhalenhuis,' with a public parking garage and bicycle storage underneath. MIX Amsterdam stands out for its sustainable and high-end finish, perfectly complemented by the facade cladding.
Rich Variety of Facade Claddings
According to the aesthetic design by Architecten Cie, WVH Gevelprojecten equipped two residential buildings with timber-frame elements featuring aluminum composite cladding and Eternit fiber cement panels, Van Boven explains (projectmanager at WVH Gevelprojecten). Two other buildings were finished with STO Ecoshapes cladding and traditional brickwork, while buildings 5 and 2 were fitted with aluminum composite cladding combined with 1,020 m² of profiled panels from ArcelorMittal Building Solutions. We created a mock-up of the various claddings in advance to convince the City of Amsterdam, the contractor, and the involved real estate parties.
Pleasant and Solution-Oriented
The choice for ArcelorMittal for the profiled panels was logical, according to Van Boven. ArcelorMittal Building Solutions is a well-known name in the facade industry for decorative metal cladding. Moreover, we could rely on several successfully completed projects where collaboration was pleasant and solution-oriented. MIX Amsterdam was no exception. In the preparatory phase, Special Façades Manager Levi Kleinjan visited our site several times to get acquainted and align project details—both on product level and logistics. Van Boven also visited ArcelorMittal’s office and Experience Center in Tiel, where 180 m² of unique architectural facades are showcased.
High Dimensional Accuracy
When an architect includes a facade profile in their design, the details are not yet fully developed. Together with WVH Gevelprojecten, we took on that challenge and worked out the right connection details, custom pieces, and sheet metal work. We also determined the most suitable corrugation depths, colors, gloss levels, and fastening methods. These efforts ultimately resulted in the delivery of 1,020 m² of architectural Creneo block profiles with a corrugation depth of 20 mm and two color coatings. Although this profile looks very symmetrical, its production and installation impose special requirements. High dimensional accuracy is essential for continuous lines and an extremely sleek facade appearance.
Harmonious Interaction
The Creneo block profiles are made of 1 mm thick aluminum and coated in two bronze tones closely resembling anodized colors C32 (light bronze) and C33 (medium bronze), Van Boven explains. This creates a beautiful and harmonious interaction with the aluminum composite cladding, which we processed in-house into high-quality facade cassettes. We provided all facade design drawings to ArcelorMittal Building Solutions, based on which they produced the profiled panels to exact specifications, including associated specials and sheet metal work. To keep installation and logistics manageable, production, delivery, and installation were divided into three batches for tower 5 (12 floors) and one batch for tower 2 (8 floors), he adds. For fastening, we opted for a visible and solid screw connection on an aluminum substructure. Since the screws were finished in the same color as the profiled panels, the result is aesthetically pleasing.
FACT BOX:
Item Details
Prefab timber-frame elements 21,351 m²
Aluminum composite cladding 8,565 m²
Creneo Facade profiles 1,020 m²
Eternit fiber cement panels 2,096 m²
STO Ecoshapes cladding 1,907 m²
Sheet metal work / Flashing 6,375 m
Facade system Creneo Block 30 + Creneo Block 30 custom profiles
Material Pre-painted aluminum
Coating & color Anodized Look C33 & C32
Architect Architecten Cie
Construction company Heddes Bouw & Ontwikkeling Hoorn
Engineering & installation WVH Gevelprojecten Oirschot
Photography: Marco Hofsté Film & Photography
