Platform on concrete and steel in construction
2025 has been a busy and multifaceted year for GS Birkhoff Staalwerken, with diverse projects in both infrastructure and petrochemicals. From delivering many (renovation) portals on highways to complex steel structures for (zinc) tunnels and viaducts, GS Birkhoff Staalwerken puts its knowledge, experience and innovation into practice everywhere. Both in the Netherlands, but also increasingly across national borders. The portfolio for 2026 is already well filled. An interview with director Henk van den Ochtend.
GS Birkhoff Steelworks“ reno portals are finding eager use in Dutch infrastructure. ”For example, for the A27 between Houten and Hooipolder, we are supplying various renovation and new portals,“ says Van den Ochtend. ”A total of fourteen portals are being installed, including the removal of old suspension structures. Two of the fourteen gantries are completely new construction; at the other locations, renoportals are being deployed. We are also installing bat screens along the route. We have also supplied portals for the widening of the A9 between Badhoevedorp and Holendrecht and are supplying a total of 25 portals for the A10 at the reconstruction of the De Nieuwe Meer interchange."
GS Birkhoff Steelworks is also a well-known name internationally. “For Immontec, we previously supplied frames for the tunnel elements of the Scheldt Tunnel in Antwerp,” Van den Ochtend says. “We are currently involved in the construction of the new Weser Tunnel in Bremen (A281), a zinc tunnel for which we have built six access shafts, a pusher frame and eight bollards. Some of these structures have already been delivered, the rest are still in our factory.”
In the petrochemical sector, business is also booming for GS Birkhoff Staalwerken. “We build pipe bridges, elevate structures and fabricate cyclones in the extremely wear-resistant Hardox steel for a company on the Maasvlakte,” Van den Ochtend exemplifies. “A special project was the replacement of three main girders at the same plant. After dismantling the old girders, we installed the structural beams according to a system we developed, while the factory continued to operate as usual. That requires precision, craftsmanship and a strong focus on safety.”
Van den Ochtend is proud of the cooperation with the Department of Public Works, which is increasingly taking shape. Among other things, he refers to the use of refurbished portals. “We have set up a system within our company to responsibly assess, document and reuse these structures. The requirements in our sector are getting tougher, from ROK to NEN-EN 1090, and the administrative pressure is increasing. Yet we see this as an opportunity to lead the way. Our processes are so well designed that auditors and parties such as TNO often compliment our working methods.”
“Safety, efficiency and knowledge sharing remain at the core of our success,” Van den Ochtend believes. “Where others need three weeks to assemble a pipe bridge, for example, we install the structure in a few days, with minimal risks, thanks to our smart prefab approach. That's what we excel at: thinking along at the front, smart construction, working safely and always striving for better.”
