Foundation engineering for advanced students

Leader in sustainability and innovation

'Sustainable' and 'innovative' are qualifications that are used in business presentations and the media too often. Not infrequently they are hollow phrases that, on closer inspection, completely miss the point. How different is this at VSF in Dordrecht. This business unit of Van Hattum en Blankevoort, part of VolkerWessels, seeks out problem cases, takes on challenges and, where necessary, uses new implementation techniques. VSF is also investing heavily in making its machinery more sustainable by, for example, converting cranes to hydrogen propulsion in order to be completely energy- and climate-neutral by 2030. So no empty words, just roll up your sleeves.

It is clear from the list of reference projects that VSF offers a particularly varied range of services, specializing in 'Complex hydraulic engineering', 'Inner-city foundations', 'Replacement and renovation' and 'Specials'. The underground expansion of Paleis Het Loo, the sub-basement of the new UvA library, the sinking of the caissons of the IJmuiden sea lock and Wonderwoods residential tower in Utrecht: these are just a few examples of diverse projects that require something extra in the field of foundations. "We are perfectly capable of handling average assignments and enjoy doing them, but we are always looking for the projects where there is room for a different, innovative approach," says Peter Kanninga, Managing Director of VSF. "We don't do this out of a compulsion to innovate; it obviously has to be relevant to a project and benefit the client." 

Bypass not required

A good example is the renovation of the Koopvaardersschutsluis lock in Den Helder, whose permanent lock's cofferdam wall has been affected by bacteria. "Together with the province of North Holland and Van Hattum en Blankevoort, a plan has been made by which we are carrying out the renovation of the lock 'with the store open' and the originally conceived diversion route is not necessary," Kanninga explains. "We use jet grouting under very high pressure for this, which creates new grout columns behind the sheet piling that take over the load-bearing and retaining function of the sheet piling. This solution saves the province a lot of money and causes minimal inconvenience to inland shipping." 

Lock construction for anchors

Another telling example is the replacement of 1,360 tension anchors of the Prinses Margriettunnel, the aqueduct in Friesland where the Prinses Margriet Canal and the A7 motorway cross. Kanninga: "Due to the failure of tension anchors, road legs were pushed up in 2022. To restore structural safety, all the tension anchors had to be replaced. With our Design, Engineering and Innovation Department, a special lock construction was then designed that allows new anchors to be placed through the existing concrete floor against twelve meters of water pressure. This eliminated the need for large-scale drainage and spared the surrounding buildings. It is projects like this, which offer room for innovation and solution-oriented cooperation, where we come into our own the most."

Automate

Meanwhile, VSF is well on its way to digitizing and automating its work processes. "With digitization we are already far along," Kanninga continues, "Now we are also going to make great strides in automation. It's still strange that you work everything out completely in BIM but still picket lines. Drilling processes and injection methods where many parameters are involved are perfectly automatable. We collect data for this purpose for a long time, also from our machines. Laid alongside information from soundings, we can examine how that data relates to soil conditions. That will make it possible for a drilling rig to soon choose its own position and start drilling."

Hydrogen Drive

VSF is also rolling up its sleeves in the area of sustainability. "We follow the VolkerWessels policy of working completely emission-free by 2030, but at VSF we go a step further," Kanninga states. "That already starts on the drawing board where all aspects of sustainable construction already have our attention. For this we work together with the concrete technologists of Van Hattum and Blankevoort and with various universities, which help make innovation in our company's DNA. Furthermore, we are progressive when it comes to making equipment more sustainable. For example, we have been investing for several years in making our machines more sustainable. A deep-wall crane is currently being fitted with a 500 kW fuel cell. Increasing sustainability is a costly operation and in many cases not yet a sound business case, but with this VSF is taking its social responsibility. Fortunately, there are an increasing number of clients who are also taking the lead in this area, such as the Port of Rotterdam, ProRail, the municipality of Amsterdam, provinces, Rijkswaterstaat and the Rijksvastgoedbedrijf."