With its new lab buildings for quality control (QC) in the development of “human vaccines”, GSK-WN128 in Waver is without doubt, one of the most impressive developments in this region. VK was responsible for the stability studies needed for this.

It is not one of the most impressive developments only through its dimensions, but also because of the record time in which it was realised. The assembly of the prefabricated elements was started in the middle of May 2004, and the deadline was mid December 2004. This demanded a lot of discipline from all those involved, in order to be able to have all studies ready for use on time.

The advantages of the concept of prefabrication applied in this project are at a maximum if all building partners are involved in the design in an early stadium. For example, this means keeping the amount of zones that are to undergo on-site casting (pouring cement, etc) to a minimum. This is obviously very important, because every zone or every beam that has to be cast on the spot, means extra work and results in a decelerating effect on the general planning. Also, as a result of this concept, it is possible to opt in an early stadium for a far-reaching standardisation.

A number of additional technical details make this yard unique. The project contains 4.000m² prefabricated structural elements and 66.000m² of floor elements – a real achievement, considering the complexity of the deadlines.