Vlissingen Machine Factory

Vlissingen Machine Factory

Industrial heritage is given a sustainable future thanks to Fundex's deep foundations.

The history

The former Schelde site, once owned by NV De Schelde Scheepsbouw en Werktuigenfabriek, is an industrial heritage site. It is uniquely located near the city Vlissingen Zeeland. The shipyard was founded in 1875 on the site of the former Royal Navy shipyard, with a unique location on the open water. This location had an important advantage over other shipyards in the Netherlands. The site included a shipyard, a forge, a copper foundry, a boiler factory, and a machine factory. The steam engines for the ships were built in this machine factory, and later steam engines for other purposes were also built there. 

The current Machinefabriek building was constructed in stages. The oldest part dates back to 1913. The second part dates from 1916, and in 1919, the factory underwent its last major expansion. This is how the enormous factory hall, located opposite the timber quay, gradually took on its current form. The Machinefabriekoriginally had a glass roof, but this was replaced in 1955 due to high energy costs. Even back then.

The future

The halls of the machine factory consist of enormous spaces, up to 95 meters deep and 16 meters high. In 2024, the structural restoration will be completed and, with the start of the next phase, Funderingstechnieken Verstraeten BV, or Fundex, was asked to provide a sustainable and solid foundation for the new plans. 

Each hall will be given a new purpose, such as sports, culture, health, events, and an extensive parking lot. The construction project will be rolled out in phases because the building is too large to be fitted out all at once. The project has therefore been divided into clusters, namely:

1. A parking garage in the middle section, built in 1916. It will provide parking for more than 600 visitors, residents, and people from the surrounding area.
2. Sports, culture, and health will be given a place in the left wing, which was built in 1913 and is being redeveloped to include a sports hall, pop music venue, studios, a library, and a city hall room. 
3. The right-hand hall will house an event hall, which will soon accommodate a variety of events in this industrial setting. 

The project

With more than 70 years of experience, Fundex has established itself as an all-round specialist in (deep) foundation techniques. Their expertise includes numerous vibration-free methods such as the patentedpiles,piles grout injection,piles,piles,piles, bored pipe piles, and other techniques. In addition, Fundex also manages traditional pile driving and vibration methods in order to respond to different soil and project conditions. 

This also includes working in confined spaces in terms of height and width. Obviously, it was not possible to use one of our larger machines, because although the halls of the machine factory are around 16 meters high, the F3500 and F4800 drilling rigs reach far above that with heights of 42 and 52 meters respectively. Weight is also a factor.

Fundex has a fleet of machines that are specially suited for working in small spaces. One of Fundex's showpieces is the use of machines such as the CD20E, which is fully electric and therefore emission-free. The CD20E is a compact, lightweight drilling machine that is ideal for inner-city projects, tunnels, or sensitive areas such as the hall of a centuries-old machine factory. The CD20E operates quietly, produces no direct emissions, and is designed to deliver maximum performance in confined spaces. 

Vibration-free foundation techniques are crucial in places where adjacent walls or buildings are susceptible to cracking or movement. Fundex uses, among other things,piles grout injection, which create a stable foundation without the peak loads caused by traditional techniques.

Fundex is installing 160 foundation piles to a depth of 25.5 meters at the machine factory using the CD20E. 

Fundex is working on this project with great respect for the past. The iconic building will be fully preserved and carefully integrated into its new function. This will ensure that the story of the former De Schelde shipyard remains visible for future generations.

Client: Continental Car Parks, Bouwbedrijf aan de Stegge Twello B.V. and made possible by the Municipality Vlissingen