Here, all links of the Dutch steel construction chain join forces

Building with Steel is committed to the interests of steel construction in the Netherlands. The foundation is active in promotion, advice and knowledge transfer, while at the association the emphasis is on togetherness and knowledge development. Of course, the foundation and association also work intensively together. The Steel Building Agreement is alive and well within all ranks of the platform.

Building with Steel was founded sixty years ago, then still strongly supported by the blast furnaces. The steel construction institute - its name at the time - was the platform for everyone working in the steel sector, from steel manufacturers and suppliers to structural engineers and architects. "Here also lay the strength of the institute," says Frank Maatje, director of Building with Steel. "Because everyone was a member of the steel construction institute, this was the place to properly coordinate and let each other know what you needed from each other." It still is. Currently, the activities of Building with Steel are tailored to the application areas of industrial construction, utility construction, residential construction and infrastructure. The association has more than four hundred corporate members, one thousand personal members and two hundred student members. 

Initiator of Building Accord Steel

Building with Steel is an extremely active club. It organizes trainings, courses, publications and symposiums; anything that can contribute to the proper transfer of knowledge in the field of designing, building and producing steel. Included in this list is the theme of sustainability, which led to the board's initiative in 2021 to set up the Steel Building Agreement. "In it, we established our vision and ambitions for making steel in construction more sustainable," says chairman Rob Stark. "We then asked all links in the Dutch steel construction chain to join forces in this. And with success. After a kick-off under the chairmanship of former minister Jacqueline Cramer in late 2021 at TataSteel IJmuiden, the frontrunners signed the covenant in March 2022 at IMd Raadgevende Ingenieurs in Rotterdam."

Sufficient effort

Stark realizes that the collection of signatures is just the beginning. The agreement requires follow-up. "This is happening in several working groups, which are committed to working out the details. What is certain is that it is alive and that there is a lot of energy to make it a success. On the other hand, this is also necessary. The large producers will eventually have to replace their production processes with coal by more sustainable processes, such as with hydrogen. However, this will require a hydrogen economy. No easy task, but that is precisely why it feels so good that all the steel giants are busy developing new production processes."

Leader

The initiatives, joining forces and social responsibility make Building with Steel a leader in the industry. No matter which countries the board members make contact with, Building with Steel is way ahead of the troops. Maatje: "That makes our responsibility even greater. We have to devise and work out the solutions ourselves. On the other hand, many initiatives are being developed with the same goal. Just think of demountable constructions, registration of steel specifications and the development of measurement methods that make the reuse of steel much easier. All these initiatives together make us optimistic. The steel industry is going to achieve the ambition of 60% CO2 reduction by 2030."