Tennisclub IJburg | The Couch

Description

Construction of a new clubhouse for the IJburg Tennis Club in Amsterdam started in November 2013. The roof of the building designed by MVRDV tilts upwards and downwards, thereby creating a stand and viewing point. Winy Maas, one of the top architects in the Netherlands, signed off on the design. The Markthal in Rotterdam is one of his other designs.

Challenge

The roof is completely made from wood. As this is a living material which always moves, it is essential that the seal can follow this movement. Since the roof is also constructed to serve as a stand, it almost entirely consists of details with internal and external corners. As a roof it needs to be watertight, but as a stand it must have entirely different properties.

Solution

The roof was started with a water-resistant sheet material, which had been treated with a primer in the workshop to prevent water penetration during assembly. Subsequently, the sheets were processed on site and the seams were finished with a suitable sealant to ensure that the transition was as smooth as possible.

Since this was done during the autumn period it was necessary to put up a tent, which meant that work had to be done in parts. First of all, the wooden surface was again treated with a primer to establish good adhesion between the first primer layer and the seal. Prokol Hotspray Polyurea with improved UV colour fastness was selected for this purpose. The seamless skin was applied with a layer thickness of 3 mm, after which an anti-slip structure was sprayed on.

After mounting of the windows, the finishing edges and fascia boards were fitted. These had been pre-treated in the workshop.

Final result

The clubhouse was inaugurated during a festive event. The gravel-coloured clubhouse is a multifunctional building that fits seamlessly into the layout of the tennis club. At the same time it is a local landmark in an area that is brimming with architecture and architects.