Galaxy Tower
Utrecht
Many new living spaces
Housed in a landmark that is fully in tune with the city's distinctive character. In 2022, The CoolTower will proudly stand 154 metres up in the air, housing about 282 apartments. This white tower will have an eye-catching central 'crown', highlighting the height of other residential towers in the city centre. It will be an enhancement to the skyline.
Ballast Nedam is taking care of the project from drawings to turn-key delivery. The design is challenging for several reasons. For one, the construction of the tower is troubled because of the inability to use pre-assembled elements. The combination of different materials and wall elements requires assembly on each separate floor. This means that we will have to comply with high-quality standards, in view of, inter alia concerning water and wind isolation, especially given the height.
It is not only the result that counts, but also our attention to labor conditions and the surroundings. For instance, we will be working with a windshield that covers the entire site. This allows us to create a properly screened and protected work environment. The windshield will be raised up as the building shell goes up. Although this method is still unique in the Netherlands, we have professional experience from working in other countries. Of course, when working in a city centre there are always some special neighbours to consider. For this project, we will have to take an eye hospital into consideration. To properly subject to their needs, we must operate without any ground vibrations. Also, we must make sure that emergency services will be able to deploy quickly. Accordingly we will use a smart just in time (JIT) ticket system in order to make optimum use of the restricted transport routes.
Managing Director Ballast Nedam Building Projects
Since March 1, 2021, Halbe holds the position of Managing Director at Ballast Nedam Building Projects. He is responsible for the realisation of construction projects and the satisfaction of clients and stakeholders are the primary concern.