The largest textile façade in the Netherlands in Serge Ferrari

The Serge Ferrari Group participated in the renovation of the façade of the Westraven Building in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

Brief history of the Westraven Building

Designed in 1975 by the architectural firm Lucas & Niemeijer, the Westraven Building is a 23-story building nearly 85 meters high. It is located in Utrecht, south of Amsterdam, and today houses the offices of several government departments, including the Directorate General of Public Works and Water Management.

The tower was built using a construction method developed in England in the early 1960s: the jackblock technique. This is a construction system in which the building rises floor by floor from the excavation pit. Thus, the roof is built first.  Then, with the help of jacks and concrete blocks, each completed floor is raised to build the next one directly underneath. 

The textile facade: modernization and search for performance

In 2008, the architectural firm Cepezed was commissioned to carry out an extensive renovation campaign, including the renovation of the facades and the construction of an extension adjacent to the original building. The Dutch company Buitink Technology was selected to replace the entire existing textile façade with a climatic façade made of Frontside View 381 in a cherry black colour. 

In addition to the thermal and visual performance offered by this membrane, this choice reflects a real aesthetic approach to modernization. Depending on the intensity of the light, the position of the sun and the angle from which the building is viewed, the facade presents a different colour, varying from deep black to bronze/silver.

To install the facade, Buitink Technology developed a new tensioning system that, when coupled with the Frontside View 381, gives the new climate facade a lifespan of several decades. Extensive tests were even carried out, in which the movements of the building and the expansion of the materials were included, in order to simulate all conditions and guarantee a longer life for the installations. 

At last, almost 10,000 m² of Serge Ferrari membrane were installed, divided into 179 façade fabrics, the longest of which, in one piece without welding, measures 53 meters!