Full shell construction in 11 months: 'It's possible because we have everything under one roof'

Along the A16 motorway - near the Breda-West exit - the new GR8 Hotel Breda is being built. Progress is clearly visible from the motorway. Over a period of 11 months, the shell is being erected for the seven-storey hotel.

The GR8 Hotel has been developed by Prohuis and is being realised for end-user GR8, a new Dutch hotel chain, ready to offer comfortable 3-star facilities to both the business and private markets. The hotel will soon have some 100 rooms and several function rooms and meeting rooms. It is Willy Naessens that is currently realising the shell construction. In a period of seventeen weeks, the entire prefab concrete shell should be in place. 

Everything under one roof

Putting down the concrete shell of a seven-storey building in such a short space of time is quite unique. "This is certainly also the reason we were awarded this work," says Piet van Bommel, Willy Naessens' site manager. "Within Willy Naessens, we have everything under one roof. The concrete is produced in our own factories, making us independent of external partners. That makes us strong in precisely these kinds of projects. It starts with planning down to the hour. Then this planning is put on an assembly film and distributed to all the people involved in the project. That way, everyone - from the work preparation department to the fitters - knows what is expected of them and at what time."

Generous construction site

One factor facilitating the construction of the GR8 Hotel is the generous construction site. Good infrastructure is already in place here; roads and parking areas have been constructed. Willy Naessens has plenty of space here for the placement of the tower crane and the supply and removal of equipment and building elements. "This is a big advantage," Van Bommel says. "Given the tight schedule, huge trucks drive back and forth here all day, exactly on date and time. Then it is reassuring that there is enough space to accommodate calamities. Because that has to be said, there is no room for error."

Because Willy Naessens is familiar with the working method, the work goes smoothly. Van Bommel is satisfied. "It is a beautiful location. We are surrounded by a team of regular subcontractors and the atmosphere is good. As soon as the project is wind- and watertight, our work is done. For us, this pace is quite normal by now, but it is still nice to hear the reactions of bystanders: 'How fast it goes!'"