Commercial units and apartments built with precast concrete in Sint-Maarten
The Hills Simpson Bay Residence is an ambitious development of 22 commercial premises and 152 apartments in the heart of Simpson Bay, the most popular area of the island of Sint Maarten.
“How can we build acceptable commercial and housing units within a reasonable time frame and budget and at the same time provide a solid foundation for living and prosperity for the future owners and tenants?”
The question comes down to the choice of building method and building materials.
The project vision became reality using precast concrete slabs, beams and stairs.
Why a method with precast concrete was chosen for The Hills?
1/ To save time and fasten the building process
less hours needed to execute complicated formwork on site
earlier removal of shoring materials allowing the other tasks to start closer to the concrete rotation.
more crane time available to perform the walls at the same time as the slabs and the beams
2/ To save costs during construction
optimized use of raw materials: non-reusable plywood and lumbers no longer needed for on-site formwork
less finishings
3/ To improve general quality
well known design principles with all details integrated up front
precast concrete elements produced in a controlled environment
durability