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Major circular renovation Rivierenhuis Amsterdam

The Rivierenhuis, an iconic building from 1964 in Amsterdam South, is undergoing a thorough renovation and collective sustainability upgrade. This is necessary because there has been a lot of deferred maintenance, and the current homes—also in terms of energy—do not meet today's standards. The large-scale renovation includes installing floor and façade insulation, replacing the glass with HR++ glazing, and disconnecting the building from gas. The exterior will also get a facelift, with faded façade panels being replaced to restore the original dark blue color of the façade.

As Circular as Possible

The goal of housing corporation Eigen Haard and contractor Hemubo is to carry out the renovation as circularly as possible. This is one of their most ambitious projects ever. They like to collaborate with partners who share their ambition for sustainable and circular building. One of these partners is Weerter Paneel Industrie (WPI). A team of experts looked at eco-friendly construction from all angles in this project, focusing on material reuse and recycling of existing elements. This allows for smart and cost-effective building with attention to the environment. “For the window frames: where possible, they were preserved; where necessary, new wooden frames were made by Timmerfabriek Heerenveen,” says Willem-Jan Korsten from WPI. All window frames, whether new or reused, incorporate WPI’s sandwich panels, which are far from standard.

Prefabricated Sandwich Panel

“Together with ClimaRad, which provides decentralized ventilation solutions for residential buildings, WPI developed a prefab sandwich panel for this project,” continues Willem-Jan. He explains that the sandwich panel is designed so that the ClimaRad ventilation system can be connected directly to it. “The ventilation openings are integrated into the prefabricated sandwich panel. On the inside is the panel with the connections, where the ventilation unit can be quickly and easily installed via a mounting plate. The big advantage is that the openings are always in the right position, so nothing can go wrong.” According to Willem-Jan, this panel with the ventilation unit deviates little or not at all from the standard parapet panel. “An aesthetically and functionally beautiful solution that ensures a good indoor climate in the homes!”

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Steni Cladding Makes the Difference

This is a form of renovation where the right choice of materials makes all the difference—not only aesthetically but also in terms of insulation values and fire classification. “And through certain material choices, you can also make a difference in CO2 emissions,” emphasizes Willem-Jan Korsten from WPI. “That is also why DOOR Architects chose Steni Cladding for the exterior façade. It is an extremely strong stone composite panel, backed by a 60-year warranty, and fully recyclable at the end of its productive life. We bonded the Steni Colour panels onto our sandwich panels in the beautiful dark blue color (with a dark core) of the original façade.”

According to DOOR Architects, the entire circular and bio-based approach to the renovation of the Rivierenhuis results in a CO2 saving of 1.2 million kg compared to traditional construction—equivalent to 60,000 trees growing for a year! Impressive, says Willem-Jan. “Just like the fact that the 320 old apartments from the 1960s in this Rivierenhuis, through this transformation, have become modern living units that comply with current standards, with sustainability and modern comfort as priorities.”

Article originally published in gebouw.info (Nov. 2024), images by WPI, DOOR Architects.

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