Projects in the spotlight: De Groene Boog and molds for the stands of the Cambuur StadiumScoring goals with prefab components

Now that the World Cup is over, it’s high time we stopped focusing on international football and focused on Dutch club football instead. Safe and comfortable grandstands are vital to our enjoyment of club football. To produce those, Haitsma Beton uses grandstand moulds supplied by Hendriks precon.

In the last couple of decades, many Dutch football clubs have been equipped with new stadiums, most of which have grandstands that consist of three-step components. The Willem II Stadium in Tilburg was the first stadium to use components created by means of the unique moulds. In association with Haitsma Beton, Hendriks precon developed a system that allows for vertical pouring of components with a complex shape (to prevent entrapped air) and for horizontal removal of the mould.

Focus on the client’s needs

SC Cambuur is not the only professional football club that will use the prefab grandstand components supplied by Haitsma Beton. These same grandstand components can also be found in the Johan Cruyff Arena and in the Willem II, Roda JC, FC Groningen, Vitesse and Borussia Dortmund stadiums, as well as many other stadiums. Many amateur clubs have grandstands made up of Haitsma Beton grandstand components, as well. The thing that makes Haitsma’s grandstands interesting is the way in which they are constructed. Haitsma Beton’s Jasper Doornbos had the following to say about this: “We focus on our clients’ needs, from the first conversation to the practical completion of the grandstand. We wish to create added value for our clients, meaning we’re right beside them every step of the way, right from the preliminary stages. Because we listen to our clients, suggest ideas to them and work efficiently, we are a reliable partner to many stadium builders.”

Reliable delivery

This reliability is partly due to the parties with which Haitsma Beton collaborates. “Hendriks precon has proven to have a great deal of knowledge and experience of the matter. Moreover, in Hendriks precon, we have a partner that we know honours commitments, is reliable and supplies materials when they are due. This is important, because if we can’t pour our prefab components on time, we’re in trouble. With complex constructions such as moulds, this is by no means something that can be counted on, and yet they always keep their promises.”

Ingenious solution

One look at the mould used to cast grandstands should suffice to realise how ingenious the construction is. With the grandstand mould used for the SC Cambuur Stadium, one pour results in a three-step component. “For larger stadiums, three-step components tend to be the most useful, although we also supply one-step components,” says Jasper Doornbos. “For the Cambuur Stadium, the commissioning party, Van Wijnen, and ourselves tried to find the smartest and most efficient way to realise the architect’s design. We included the entire base of the grandstands in the design.”

Working safely

The mould for the grandstand components is a smart construction that can be hydraulically tilted sideways and opened. To ensure that components can be cast in various sizes, the mould can be outfitted with bulkheads. Moreover, the mould can be used to create both two-step and three-step components. “In this way, the three moulds allow us to produce fifteen grandstand components in a week,” says Jasper Doornbos. “Since the mould is hydraulically tilted sideways before it is removed, we made sure to focus on security in the design. For this reason, the mould comes equipped with a working platform, among other things, from where we can work safely and without any risk of getting crushed.”