Royal HaskoningDHV is an independent company which has been delivering engineering, consultancy and project management services since 1881. We focus on adding value for clients while innovating and co-creating for positive impact. More and more, we connect the digital with the physical world, using data and algorithms to solve new challenges and prevent problems. Our digitised design processes allow more time for creativity and insight. Increased collaboration, made possible through visualisations, also produces smarter solutions. We are using data science to apply continuous feedback to improve and manage environments as diverse as airports, water networks, office buildings and more. With our clients and our partners, we are enhancing society together. Further information is available from our website: royalhaskoningdhv.com.
For new construction and upgrades to buildings ranging from hospitals to data centres, airports to offices, museums to research labs, there are huge opportunities to do things better, more quickly and more sustainably. This is just as true for industrial structures such as factories, power plants and wind turbines. The success of these buildings can be measured across many dimensions - functionality, user comfort, sustainability, aesthetics, predictive capabilities, value and more. Our multi-disciplinary approach enables us to address all these aspects, identifying and solving challenges while capitalising on opportunities and innovations. We have considerable experience within these sectors, delivering services from advice and design to realisation and building management, as well as ensuring innovative, safe and energy-efficient systems are implemented.
Our specialist structural design centre in the Netherlands brings expertise in buildings, industry, energy, mining, maritime and infrastructure projects. We focus on integrating value and performance while delivering the best possible experience for users. It is a strategic approach incorporating a wide range of disciplines, and brings together architecture, building services and user requirements in clever, safe, sustainable structural designs which are aligned to client needs.
Our services draw on:
• Advanced Technology Research Centre, a unique scientific resource which transforms theoretical knowledge and research into market-oriented innovations. It has led to our implementation of ground-breaking solutions to technical challenges, such as the parametric design of the new stadium for Feyenoord football club.
• Digital technologies enabling us to visualise and optimise solutions. We can quickly and cost-effectively explore scenarios to improve the structural design at an early stage. These technologies include virtual design and construction (VDC) and building information modelling (BIM).
De Rotterdam, Rotterdam
Architect: OMA, Rem Koolhaas, Rotterdam
The largest building in the Netherlands, De Rotterdam was conceived as a vertical city consisting of three mixed-use interconnected towers placed on a six-storey base. Challenges included managing the load - including complexities arising from the offset of the building masses at half height. The character of the load meant large uneven settlements of the buildings were expected. Solutions were successfully developed with the use of advanced 3D modelling applications.
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Feyenoord Football Stadium, Rotterdam
An iconic waterfront stadium with capacity for 63,000, ambitious architecture and a retractable roof, it is designed to meet regulations required to host major international cup finals. Challenges included structural integrity relating to its location on a difficult substrate, tight budgetary constraints and the need to ensure a great spectator experience. Our solutions used parametric modelling which kept costs low and enabled sightlines to be optimised for each individual seat.
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Markthal, Rotterdam
Another innovative and awe-inspiring architectural masterpiece in Rotterdam, the Markthal is a huge arch containing more than 200 apartments, restaurants and shops, overlooking a 100-stall public market. Innovative architecture demands innovative structural design. Specific challenges included deep excavation in what was described as ‘a thick soup’, construction of the arch itself, and the suspended glass facades on the arch entrances. Innovative technical solutions were developed by our Advanced Technology Research Centre and parametric design ensured successful planning and implementation.
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Haliade-X wind turbine, GE Renewable Energy
With installed capacity of 12MW and a rotor-diameter of more than 200 metres, the Haliade-X prototype installed in Rotterdam by GE Renewable Energy and FutureWind is the largest in the world. The challenge for Royal HaskoningDHV was not just its size, but its location on soft sandy soil in a dam. Our structural and geo-technical engineers delivered an effective solution which met technical requirements without over-dimensioning.
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Multinational client steel production
The expansion of a multinational’s steelworks to incorporate a third continuous casting machine involved strengthening the existing foundations of the production facility while casting operations continued. A key challenge was that one of the columns in the production hall was located in the midst of the new foundations. In a unique solution that has never previously been applied, the soil underneath the column was strengthened with water-glass injections that function as a kind of ‘glue’ to significantly enhance the soil’s consistency. This 2m soil column then supported the block foundation temporarily, stabilising the column and the structure of the hall. With this problem solved, the foundations were successfully established.
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Reina Beatrix International Airport, Aruba
The international airport in the Caribbean island of Aruba has seen passenger numbers nearly triple in recent years. It is being upgraded to handle more passengers more comfortably while also increasing sustainability. The upgraded building is aiming for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver accreditation. To support this ambition, Royal HaskoningDHV’s structural design team reused existing structural elements in the new design. An additional challenge was to make the new buildings future ready and able to withstand hurricane and earthquake impact. A weekly update showing 3D visualisations based upon the integral BIM model was shared with the client, enabling a closer involvement in the design process.
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Aalborg University Hospital, Denmark
The new university hospital at Aalborg in Demark is huge, equivalent in size to about 24 football pitches. It has been designed to be as flexible as possible to accommodate the latest medical techniques and equipment, while meeting challenging construction deadlines. To assist and ensure maximum adaptation to local circumstances, members of our dedicated team based in Denmark for the project chose to learn Danish. For this project, by pushing forward digital connections and calculations, we saved time when changes and alterations needed to be made. We delivered the tender design within 18 months and six months later construction started on the foundations – an extremely fast timescale for a building of this size.
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HQ location
The Netherlands
Merge contact
Jan Janssen MSc., Janko Arts MSc.
Royal HaskoningDHV
George Hintzenweg 85
3068 AX Rotterdam
The Netherlands
Tel. +31 88 348 6621
moc.vhdhr@nessnaj.naj
http://www.royalhaskoningdhv.com