Royal Dutch Mint - Houten

For the new building of the Royal Mint in Houten, Architectenbureau Wilma-Watiau (BE) chose Isis point profiles from ArcelorMittal Construction Tiel (Specials department) in the colour gold.

A good façade design can give an office, school, hospital or other project a look that makes the building unique, appropriate to the time and corporate identity of the owner, and distinctive from the rest. ArcelorMittal Construction, the world's largest steel producer, offers a very wide range of architectural and technical solutions for facades, roofs, floors and ceilings made of metal. The 'Specials' department, in close consultation with the architect and client, develops unique façade solutions that give a building an extra dimension, also for the new building of the Royal Dutch Mint in Houten, for which they combined an existing profile with a unique coating.

As the world's largest steel producer, ArcelorMittal has everything to do with steel production: from extracting iron ore to producing and delivering semi-finished and finished products. ArcelorMittal Construction offers the architect, project developer or builder various roof or facade solutions, such as single-walled profiles, insulated sandwich panels, steel-plate concrete floor profiles and associated flashings. "ArcelorMittal has been synonymous with innovation for more than 100 years and six years ago we decided to set up the new 'Specials' division in the Netherlands, which, as the name suggests, focuses on special developments," says managing director Levi Kleinjan. "Architects, assembly companies and also clients increasingly have wishes and requirements which cannot be met by a standard solution. These 'Specials' often relate to the façade or the interior of a building. New coatings and colours are continuously being developed and there is also a regular demand for unique profiles. We have a team of driven and experienced employees, our own R&D department and extensive machinery at our production facilities in the Netherlands (Tiel) and France.

From idea to approved solution, from production to assembly support
Each new development is developed specifically for a particular project. The ArcelorMittal team listens to the architect and translates the ideas into an innovative solution with the aim of giving the building architectural added value. "We start from a sketch or an idea and complement it with materials, shapes, colours and finishes. This thinking process is always done together with the architects, because then we can also tell them immediately whether their creative thoughts can be realised in reality or not," explains Kleinjan about the working method. "In the next phase, we draw up the entire project. In some cases we can fall back on elements that we have already realised in the past for a certain application, but in many cases we have to develop the solution from scratch. In the end, we come up with trial models that are presented to the architects and clients. After the model has received final approval, we can prepare and plan the production and look for an assembly company that, with our support, can realise the installation just as we had originally thought of it."

Combining an existing profile with a unique coating
When architects Wastiau started designing the new building for the Royal Mint in Houten, they also contacted the 'Specials' department of Arcelormittal Construction Tiel. The two partners had already completed projects together in the past and had also worked together with Heylen Warehouses in the past. "It soon became clear that for this project we could use a profile that we had already developed in the past for another building. In order to meet the requirements in terms of, for example, colour and gloss level of the finish, a unique coating was needed," says Levi Kleinjan. "The development phase of a project usually takes one to one and a half years. In the best case, we have a final model in four months, but sometimes it can take up to two years. The design of the special facade profile for the new building of the Royal Mint took just under a year. Architect and client were convinced fairly quickly. Belfaconstruct ultimately proved to be the ideal partner to realise the project. They took a lot of initiative and ensured a flawless installation. What's more, they asked us to develop the underlying structure for the facade elements together."