Investment in people, product and infrastructure drives growth at specialist in architectural precast concrete

From simple sills, baseboards and balconies to challenging multi-million dollar projects

The company is today the market leader in Belgium in the field of architectural precast concrete. This specialist produces and delivers elements for construction projects at home and abroad. The editors of Concrete & Steel Construction spoke with Managing Director Michel Catteau.

Text | Johan Debaere  Image | Verheyen Architectural Concrete

How would you introduce Verheyen Architectural Concrete in one paragraph?

"Verheyen produces customized building elements in high-quality architectural precast concrete. This family business has actually existed for a very long time, but especially in the last 25 years it went through an enormous evolution. The takeover by B&R Bouwgroep in 2001, for example, was an important milestone. In recent years, we have steadily grown to become the market leader in Belgium. We supply architectural concrete for projects at home and abroad. Reference projects include the Woods residence in Leuven, the Turnova tower in Turnhout, the Oase residential and care center in Aarschot, the Artesis Plantijn Hogeschool Antwerp, the Nieuw Zuid site in Antwerp and the new physics campus of the University of Cambridge (UK), to name but a few. Each of these projects is preceded by a thorough preparation process in which we aim to provide the client with technical support right from the design stage. After all, the advantages of precast concrete are only maximized if prefabrication is taken into account as early as the design phase. The precast elements are produced in our factory and subjected to thorough quality control. They are fitted with all the necessary cast-in-place accessories, including windows, and delivered to the construction site finally ready for assembly."

Antwerp Management School. Architect: www.hub.eu

To what do you attribute the strong growth in recent years?

"We continued to invest continuously in our infrastructure and in motivated and strong profiles, whether technical, commercial or administrative. Thus, the infrastructure was significantly improved. In 2005, a new concrete plant was commissioned, which was already expanded three years later. In 2019, another expansion followed with two additional production halls and a new polishing machine was also purchased. Today, our plant hall houses 1,500 m² of formwork tables. The two fully automated mixers ensure the perfect composition, which is very important in architectural concrete. We strive to work with natural compositions as much as possible, yet colorants can also be added. We have eighteen bunkers of 90 tons each, which hold granules of different colors and calibers. Since we can store all materials under cover, we are not affected by winter temperatures.  

Façade panel for Academy in Heist-op-den-Berg. Architect: www.cuypers-Q.be

The three cement silos can hold up to 120 tons of gray and white cement and aggregates. The humidity is continuously measured so that the water/cement factor is always optimal. With our eleven gantries, three gantry cranes and a tower crane, we can produce elements of up to 40 tons."

Verheyen has also attracted many new people from home and abroad over the last decade, one by one profiles with knowledge of the market. "Today we have about eighty employees, who help ensure that the high quality of our products and service is maintained. Moreover, as a company, you have to keep working on the optimization of existing products and the development of innovative solutions and ensure the necessary certifications, such as the BENOR certificate. Only the perfect combination of those aspects allowed us to grow from a supplier of simple sills, baseboards and balconies to a major player in precast concrete, collaborating daily on large, challenging projects."

Green acidified concrete for Woods at Leuven - www.binstarchitects.be

How important are these innovative developments to your firm?

"We have to keep evolving to provide the right solutions for our projects. Especially with out-of-the-box products, we make the difference. Thanks in part to our engineering office in Cairo, we are today the only Belgian manufacturer who can pre-stress elements. The 'slender wall' columns at Nieuw Zuid (Scheldezicht) were a major challenge. That involves columns up to four stories high, whose weight was reduced by two-thirds compared to solid columns. At Verheyen, however, we are best known for our sandwich panels. After all, this allows larger panels to be produced, reducing assembly time on the building site. In these panels, an aesthetic outer shell of architectural concrete with an insulating core and an inner shell are connected with C-Grid®. This carbon compound has the advantage of being stronger and lighter than steel and is completely cold-bridge free. We also produce single-shell panels and balconies. Finally, Verheyen offers a hybrid solution, combining a thin architectural façade element and a lightweight steel structure."

Turnova in Turnhout.
Architects: www.b-architecten.be & www.osar.be

What will the future bring?

"As a market leader, you absolutely cannot rest on your laurels. That is why it remains important for us to be involved in the most diverse projects at the earliest possible stage in order to provide the client with the best possible technical support. Furthermore, the name Verheyen is already known to quite a few building owners, architects, engineering firms and contractors, but there too we can do even better. We continue to focus on larger projects at home and abroad with a technical challenge, for which we then look for the right innovative solution. Verheyen Architectonisch Beton is not a supplier, but a full-fledged construction partner, which always comes up with an appropriate customized solution."