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Modular building at top level

Waldorp Four

  • 6/25/2026

On a strip of grass right next to the railway in The Hague, Waldorp Four is rising. Heddes Bouw & Ontwikkeling and Ballast Nedam West are constructing four towers, each 70 metres high. The majority of the 1,171 homes will be hoisted into place as ready-made modules. ‘We are showing the Netherlands what modular construction can mean for city centres.’

The plot measures approximately 350 by 30 metres and is sandwiched between the railway line, an unmanned petrol station and the Megastores of Waldorpstraat. ‘If you had said a few years ago that almost 1,200 homes would be built here, people would have thought you were crazy’, says project Manager Marc Harks of Ballast Nedam West. ‘We are building less than five metres from the railway, and on the other side is a busy street. This means we are dealing with a very tight construction site. In that situation, modular construction is the ideal solution. The homes are delivered as ready-made modules. As a result, much less work needs to be done on the construction site than with traditional on-site construction.’

Tower cranes above ground level

This does not change the fact that a total of 1,700 modules, each weighing 23 tonnes, still have to be hoisted into place. Heddes Bouw & Ontwikkeling is installing heavy tower cranes for this purpose. ‘They are not at ground level but on steel structures. Construction traffic passes underneath. This is how we make efficient use of the limited space.’ These restrictions also require measures on the street side. For example, the cycle path has been relocated and the Waldorpstraat will be oneway for three years. On the railway side, there are other challenges, such as the risk of subsidence. ‘All factors that we take into account. That makes this a complex project. But I do like a challenge.’

Eight modules per day

Speaking of challenges, Marc can name another one. ‘If we start stacking the houses in the summer of 2026, a workflow will begin that must not stop. That means transporting, hoisting and assembling eight modules per day. In this way, we can build two towers in six months and then the other two in the following six months.’ Marc immediately highlights a major advantage of modular construction. While traditional construction for similar projects easily takes 26 months, the modular part of Waldorp Four is built on top of the substructure within one year. This includes the façade finish.

Positive energy

The pressure on the workflow is not only on site, but also in Ursem's factory in Wognum, where the modules are made. ‘This scale is new to them. So they are preparing for a very tight production schedule, both within the factory and at the suppliers. Everything has to be in the right place at the right time in the right quantities, so that a module rolls off the production line every hour.’

Marc can't wait to get everything done at this pace with everyone involved. ‘That’s going to generate so much positive energy! For me, for the company and for the city of The Hague. This project is part of the Central Innovation District where 20,000 homes will be built. When Waldorp Four rises into the skyline, the municipality can say: “we’ve made a start”. And we show the Netherlands that modular construction allows large-scale use of the limited space in city centres. It makes an important contribution to solving the housing shortage.’

Want to find out more?

For more information and details about the project, please see this project overview.

Waldorp Four, The Hague
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