Vlissingen Machine Factory

Vlissingen Machine Factory

Industrial heritage is being 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 a site of industrial heritage. It boasts a unique location 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 offered a significant advantage over other shipyards in the Netherlands. The site included, among other things, a shipbuilding yard, a smithy, a copper foundry, a boilermaker’s shop, and a machine factory. In this machine factory, steam engines for the ships were built, and later also steam engines for other purposes. 

The current Machinefabriek building was constructed in stages. The oldest section dates back to 1913. The second section dates back to 1916, and a final major expansion of the factory followed in 1919. This is how the current form of the enormous factory hall, located across from the timber wharf, gradually took shape. The machine factoryoriginally had a glass roof, but it 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 was completed, and as the next phase—the repurposing—got underway, Funderingstechnieken Verstraeten BV, also known as Fundex, was asked to provide a sustainable and solid foundation for the new plans. 

Each hall will be repurposed for use in areas such as sports, culture, health, events, and an expanded parking lot. The construction project will be carried out in phases because the building is too large to be completed all at once. The project has therefore been divided into clusters, namely:

1. A parking garage in the central section, built in 1916. It will provide parking for over 600 vehicles for visitors, residents, and people from the surrounding area.
2. Sports, culture, and health will be housed in the left wing, which was built in 1913 and is being renovated to include a sports hall, a concert venue, studios, a library, and a community hall. 
3. The right-hand wing will house an event hall, which will soon host a variety of events in this industrial setting. 

The project

With over 70 years of experience, Fundex has established itself as an all-around specialist in (deep) foundation techniques. Its 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 employs traditional pile driving and vibration methods to adapt to various soil and project conditions. 

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

Fundex has a fleet of machines specifically designed for working in confined spaces. One of Fundex’s flagship offerings is the use of machines such as the CD20E, which is fully electric and therefore operates 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 historic 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 areas where adjacent walls or buildings are susceptible to cracking or movement. To achieve this, Fundex uses methods such aspiles grout injection, which provide a stable foundation without the peak loads caused by traditional techniques.

At the machine factory, Fundex is using the CD20E to install 160 foundation piles to a depth of 25.5 meters. 

Fundex approaches this project with great respect for the past. The iconic building will be fully preserved and carefully integrated into its new function. In this way, the story of the former De Schelde shipyard will remain visible to future generations.

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