New flats for older people, apartments and service centre
Three apartment blocks (of five, nine and eleven storeys) were built on the old Scanfil site in Hoboken and comprise 118 flats for older people, run by Antwerp care provider Zorgbedrijf Antwerpen, along with neighbourhood amenities and a crèche/nursery school. The shell of these blocks is made up of 6,000 m2 of Machiels Building Solutions’ prefabricated timber-frame components.
MBS drafted blueprints based on the architect’s design and in regular consultation with the parties involved, bearing in mind the various technical aspects and requirements (in terms of stability, heat, air, water and windtightness, acoustics, fire safety and tolerances).
Given the cascading balconies in the façade, it was decided that the building shell should pass right through the concrete structure (i.e. both the columns and the floor slab), as this would minimise thermal bridges and ensure that the façade was watertight. The fire-safety blueprint for timber frame façade elements was produced in line with the requirements laid down in the Royal Decree on basic fire-safety standards and tested with the local fire brigade.
