EeStairs completes technically advanced staircase at LV7 Bentinck, The Hague
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“Our intervention represents the final stage of the restoration and redevelopment of this fine 18th-century building on the Lange Voorhout, one of the principal avenues in The Hague. The overall renovation was well under way by the time we came on board, with a new glass façade already in place, so we realised that access was going to be problematic, rather like solving a gigantic jigsaw puzzle.”
(Johan Floor, Project Engineer, EeStairs)
The installation of a dramatic new staircase at LV7 Bentinck (Bentinck huis) in The Hague presented significant technical challenges for international stairway specialists EeStairs.
Assessing the situation, Engineer Johan Floor and his team worked closely with the architectural practice Kentie & Partners Architekten to develop a design that would allow installation of this geometrically perfect white spiral staircase, with a seamless balustrade and soffit, connecting the basement right up to the building’s fifth floor.
Ten separate segments were carefully craned through the roof to avoid damaging the balconies or glass curtain wall. The stair sections were then lifted and locked into their correct positions using smaller internal cranes and hoists: ultra-precise calculations ensured that everything fitted together to the millimetre. The segments were then welded together and the welds ground away to create a seamless, continuous form.
“The iconic spiral staircase with its integrated reception desk was a key element in our design, providing a visually striking connection between the listed building on the Lange Voorhout with the newer office building on the Hoge Nieuwstraat.” (Michiel Samsom, Project Director, Kentie & Partners Architekten)
The stairs are finished with 20 mm thick European oak glued to a 10 cm thick EPS base. “We have been using this technique for a number of years”, says Floor. “A vacuum table forces the wood to assume the form of the base structure, and the accuracy of this system ensures a perfect bond.” The subtle curvature of the structure’s underside was lined with EeSoffitTM – a solution developed by EeStairs that allows for the realisation of complex shapes and monolithic structures. The finish consists of a highly elastic coating, an important feature given that such a complex steel structure requires a certain degree of mobility.
Project team
Client: Du Prie Bouw & Ontwikkeling B.V.
Design architect: Kentie & Partners Architekten
Stair manufacturer: EeStairs
Engineer: Johan Floor
Contractor: Du Prie Bouw & Ontwikkeling B.V.
All photos © Hans Morren
