An error has major consequences for the construction of a new apartment building on Repellaan in Schaijk. The foundation is too low and needs to be raised, but that is not possible without demolishing the building under construction and starting over.
The construction of the 24 social rental apartments, on the site of an old supermarket, has been at a standstill for more than six months. Since then, there has only been a carcass of concrete walls. Nothing has happened on the construction site for months. The bricks for the exterior walls lie unused on pallets in front of the apartment complex. Construction scaffolding is waiting against the facade.
Initially there was a plan to jack up the building. This means that the building is lifted to raise the floor. But a company that specializes in this type of work has announced that lifting is not possible in this case.
Materials are reused
That is why construction company Van Herpen and landlord Brabant Wonen have decided to demolish the entire building, raise the foundation and then rebuild it. “The intention in the new plan is to reuse as many building materials as possible. Only the sand-lime brick walls cannot be reused,” a spokesperson for Brabant Wonen said.
‘Lifting’ the building would take approximately three months. Taking the entire building apart and starting over takes almost six months. “The building is dismantled down to the load-bearing inner walls of the ground floor. The floor is then raised before everything is rebuilt again. First the left side of the building is tackled and then the right side. At the same time, it is not possible to get through the space available on the construction site.”
Residents will not be able to move in until later
The apartment complex will house homes for small families, couples and singles. The delay in construction is especially a bitter pill for future residents. Initially, the building was expected to be completed at the end of last year. That will now be spring 2025.
Below you can see what the apartment complex will look like. With the white button you can slide up and down between current and future situation.