VolkerWessels getting Circuit Zandvoort ready for Formula 1
VolkerWessels recently started converting Circuit Zandvoort. In the coming months the circuit and other infrastructure will be prepared for the arrival of the Formula 1 Heineken Dutch Grand Prix from 1 to 3 May 2020. The work will be performed by VolkerWessels companies KWS, Gebr. Van Kessel, Holland Scherm, Kondor Wessels Amsterdam and De Groot Vroomshoop and involve replacing and widening the existing track, installing prefab pedestrian tunnels, building a brand new paddock area, expanding the existing pit building and creating a new medical centre.
The track will be modified in various places using a number of special techniques. The banked corner, for example, has an incline up to 32% that will require customised equipment to build. KWS and Gebr. Van Kessel will replace just over 50% of top layer on the track. To the extent possible, recycled asphalt is used, as well as a closed soil balance for reusable materials on the track, such as sand, rubble and soil.
In addition to the asphalting work, KWS, Gebr. Van Kessel and Holland Scherm are laying two new prefabricated pedestrian tunnels in order to safely manage the massive interest in the event and the expected public flows. The prefabricated tunnels were constructed by Martens Beton and each have a length of 40 metres.
De Groot Vroomshoop will build a brand new medical centre next to the circuit. This one-storey prefab structure will be constructed entirely out of wood and is therefore sustainable and 100% circular. The medical centre will be built in Vroomshoop and then transported in one piece to Zandvoort.
Finally, the pit building will be expanded by Kondor Wessels Amsterdam and consist of a one-storey addition that will measure 8m wide by 150m long. The roof of the addition will be built as a VIP stand. New stairs will be built from this VIP stand to the existing stand, higher up on the existing pit complex.
Alfred Vos, VolkerWessels COO: “As a partner of the Dutch Grand Prix we are proud to take the race track and infrastructure to a level that befits an event of this magnitude. We are doing this with specialists from all areas of our company. This project is the perfect opportunity for us to show our existing and future colleagues as well as the rest of the Netherlands what we at VolkerWessels are capable of doing.”
Robert van Overdijk, Director of Circuit Zandvoort and Dutch Grand Prix: "On 14 May 2019 we announced the return of Formula 1 to the Netherlands together with the FOM. A world-class international top sports event at the legendary Zandvoort circuit. At the moment, together with our partner VolkerWessels, we are busy making the circuit and the infrastructure world class again. The quality and size of VolkerWessels are indispensable for us to execute this project successfully and on time."
