Playful pattern of three Rockpanel Woods designs
From the beginning, it was clear that the rear facade was the biggest challenge at Van Lennepstraat. Van Eijck: “The original extensions were smoothed out in the 1980s with wood frame construction elements and clad with flat, asbestos-containing cladding. As a result, the facade lost its playfulness and plasticity.”
In close consultation with the client, the architects decided to fill the rear facade with extra insulation, and to give it a new look with a special pattern of three lively shades of brown combined with white panels for the reveals and recessed sections. They chose Rockpanel Woods facade boards in the colours Mahogany, Cherry and Merbau, and drew up a pattern according to the Fibonacci sequence. Van Eijck: “The panels have three different widths: a narrow panel, a panel twice as wide, and a third panel as wide as the first two together. The panels also vary in height. In combination with white Rockpanel boards for the recessed parts, such as balconies, the plasticity of the facade is lifted out, creating the modern, playful rear facade that this location demands.”
Environmentally friendly and easy to maintain
Sustainability was the main reason behind the choice of Rockpanel, says Robin Hassankhan. He is a project manager at the contractor for the project, Willems Vastgoedonderhoud. “When you talk about the environmental impact, I don’t really know any alternative. Rockpanel is made of a natural product, compressed mineral wool derived from basalt, and is circular. Rockpanel also has an edge in terms of sustainability. We work exclusively in the renovation market, and in many projects we also take over the maintenance. Over the years, we’ve found that it reduces maintenance and costs are lower than with other cladding materials. That’s an advantage for us as a maintenance company, and for clients too, of course.”
“Aside from that, the versatility of Rockpanel is a real bonus,” says Hassankhan. “We use it for cladding, but we can just as easily use it to build roof trim, or to make frames to draw in window frames.”
Easy to handle
The existing asbestos panels were removed from the facade. BSK then insulated both inside and on top of the existing wood frame construction elements with ROCKWOOL insulation. Rockpanel Woods facade panels were fixed with screws. Director Pieter Vroegop: “I first came into contact with Rockpanel in the 1990s, and have been a fan ever since. The material is easy to handle, and you don’t need any special tools to modify it on the building site. Because of the complex pattern, we spent quite a bit of time on this project cutting to size and logically numbering the different colours and dimensions. However, once at the construction site, assembly was a piece of cake. This was a challenging and fun contract, and the end result is a project to be proud of.”
Upgrade for the whole district
The homes on Van Lennepstraat have since all been renovated. All those involved say they are very proud of the work they have done. Architect van Eijck is particularly satisfied with the rear facade: “A limited intervention, namely replacing the cladding, makes a world of difference to the quality of life of residents of Van Lennepstraat, and indeed the entire neighbourhood. The playful pattern of facades with Rockpanel Woods combined with the white Rockpanel cladding of the recessed areas takes the interior area to a whole new level.”
