Anyone moving along the Fivelweg in Zijldijk, Groningen, one of these days cannot possibly overlook the work on two blocks of houses. Here, Van Wijnen is reinforcing and insulating five homes belonging to the Marenland housing association on behalf of Centrum Veilig Wonen. QuakeShield, a patented and innovative product of Koninklijke Oosterhof Holman and SealteQ, is being used to reinforce the masonry.
The project is attracting good attention. For example, some of the largest contractors in Groningen visited Zijldijk this week. The Groningen builders were enthusiastic about the product and watched the work carefully. Because QuakeShield is simple, safe and quick to apply to any type of home, basically any contractor can apply the product after a short instruction.
This has already been proven by Van Wijnen, who, using a tight schedule, made the five homes earthquake-resistant in just four days. In the original plan, the structural engineer had opted for steel portals at the front and gable ends, but with QuakeShield, only two carbon strips and the now recognizable green tough-elastic adhesive are applied. Steel anchors are also used to make connections between the reinforced facades and the connecting concrete floors and roof structures.
Zero-Meter
In addition to structural reinforcement, contractor van Wijnen will ensure that the homes are converted to Zero-Meter homes in a short period of time. In practice, this involves insulating the facades and fitting the roofs with solar panels. The total work will take 5 to 6 weeks.
