Wondering what true circular building looks like?

Reijrink Staalconstructie has built an excellent reputation in green steel construction, sustainable use of materials and environmentally friendly preservation. The company is committed to reducing its ecological footprint through continuous innovation and improvements. Among other things, this has resulted in a low MKI score, allowing Reijrink to call itself one of the greenest steel builders in the Netherlands. But the company goes further. For example, under the name Reijrink Skellet, it has entered into a partnership with Skellet of Genk (BE), a major player in the field of 100% reusable steel construction systems. Together, the companies aim to further accelerate the development of circular solutions within the steel sector.

Reijrink Skellet is synonymous with pioneering circular construction. "In a nutshell, Skellet includes a globally patented steel Meccano construction system with endless possibilities," says Technical Director Frank Reijrink. "You can use it to build industrial halls, sheds, barns, warehouse racks, mezzanine floors, homes, offices, vertical farms, cold and freezer cells, grandstands, exhibition stands and support structures for solar panels, among other things. Every time. This makes Skellet an ideal complement to Reijrink's mission. Our collaboration gives a huge boost to the development and implementation of circular technologies and processes within the steel sector. Technologies and processes from which everyone in the chain can reap the sustainable benefits and which will unquestionably push the boundaries in steel construction." Ivo Swenters, developer/owner of Skellet, added: "We too are extremely excited about the collaboration. Reijrink is a wonderful Dutch family business that shares the same vision towards a circular future. As a specialized business combination, we can guide partners and customers even better towards the new construction world. We actively develop and share our know-how for new Skellet applications and provide with 'Skellet SAFE' a revolutionary payback model that motivates end customers to build circularly."

Fast, modular and 100% dimensionally stable

Those who choose Skellet choose low weight and significant cost savings. But Skellet offers many other advantages, emphasizes Operations Manager Alwin Verdult. For example, building with Skellet is fast, modular and 100% dimensionally stable. "With the Skellet construction system, you use 40-60% less steel for similar strengths and spans. And saving weight is also saving costs. Our globally patented cross profile forms the basis of our construction system. Thanks to the recessed surfaces, the strong box section can be easily connected with other sections, while the self-centering blind rivets 100% guarantee dimensional stability. This makes light and efficient construction possible without compromising on structural load-bearing capacity. Large spans and high loads remain possible!" Reijrink: "Skellet's 25 mm grid reduces the sensitivity to error during design and assembly. Light profiles, simple connections and high dimensional stability guarantee a system that is enormously quick to assemble and mount. This allows even faster and more precise construction in all subsequent phases of a project. Time savings of up to 50% are no exception. Moreover, contractors can work with simple tools. A blind rivet gun and a saw machine are enough to get started." 

Thriving second-hand market

A structure with Skellet is easy to expand, modify or convert. "This makes Skellet ideally suited for Design & Build projects and modular products," Verdult said. "Our profiles are well stocked and design-independent." Thanks to the uniformity of the system, the steel profiles can be easily reused in new applications after disassembly. "This is necessary to create a thriving used market in the future."

Technically and economically reusable

Skellet is the only structural building product in the world that guarantees not only technical but also economic reusability. "When dismantling Skellet structures, basically only the rivets are lost," Reijrink explains. "All profiles and connectors remain intact and can be immediately reused. Because this reuse is cheaper than purchasing new profiles and connecting pieces, economic reusability is also guaranteed."

Skellet SAFE Guarantee

Because of the 100% reusability and uniformity of the Skellet system, Skellet profiles retain their value. "In fact, our confidence in this is so high that we are proud to offer a Skellet SAFE guarantee," Verdult says. "With the groundbreaking Skellet SAFE concept, we even guarantee a refund of up to 133% of the profiles' purchase price after the 15th year." For this purpose, each profile is branded and digitally registered. "This way we know exactly who is allowed to use which profile and in the future partners and customers can easily trade their profiles on our digital platform. The main ambition here is to create a living second-hand market for our circular profiles. Because only in this way will we save the planet."