Original concrete structure monument revealed

What should all happen before a monument has been transformed? To begin with, a building must be stripped. And often asbestos removal, and fighting wood and concrete rot must take place. Similarly to the Gorter building in Leiden, a former TNO office and laboratory, which is being converted into apartments. The asbestos removal has just been completed and the stripping of the old building is in full swing. Original concrete columns are being restored and have been cleaned of old stucco. As a result, the clear concrete structure of the original construction, the monument dates from the 1940s, is revealed in full glory.

Old inner walls and suspended ceilings have been removed so that the size and the monumental of the rooms can be clearly experienced again. The relationship between the floors in the old building has been made visible through cut out voids, creating space for the indoor stairs. At the location of the original library on the 2nd floor of the Gorter building, the former offices have been removed, so that the original raised wooden roof supported by characteristic Polonceau truss is exposed again.

The construction of the total project is on full speed. The monument is flanked by two new residential towers, Plot 2 and 3, and a parking garage. Four construction teams by IBB Kondor are working simultaneously. Logistics wise a big job. For Plot 2, the form of the first concrete walls on the ground floor have been removed, followed shortly by the remaining concrete walls. In the short term, the balconies will be fixed, and the volume of Plot 2 will take shape.