Hotel van Oranje

The leading five star hotel at the Koningin Wilhelmina Boulevard in Noordwijk aan Zee (Netherlands) is undergoing a large-scale renovation. Hotel van Oranje has become an icon over the past 40 years and is now being renovated from the ground up and in great detail. Two extra floors are added and the façade will get a totally new look with floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding doors to French balconies. An iconic new tower offers panoramic views over the boulevard, the beach and the sea and is topped off with the beautiful crown piece of this metamorphosis: an elegant, transparent glass dome.

Octatube is making this spherical glass dome with a diameter of 12 meters and a height of 6 meters. The dome covers the sky-restaurant. From the restaurant, guests can take a staircase to a platform in the dome. We integrated the lighting in the dome into the steel structure.

High wind loads, no horizontal forces
The location directly at the sea brings high wind loads. Yet we ensure that the connections to the surrounding buildings can breathe. In other words, the connections do not transmit any horizontal forces.  This, combined with the demand for high transparency, forms an interesting challenge in the realization of this dome. We apply our knowledge and experience gained in other projects (such as Shell C30 and AFAS Experience Centre).

Stepped edges
We use triple glass, just as is applied in the rest of the building. Because this glass package is quite thick and the dome has a inked geometry, the sealant joints open further than we are used to. This is not desirable for performance and waterproofing. Therefore, we make the outer sheet of glass at the edges just a bit larger than the two inner panels.  

Lifting
The plan is to assemble the steel structure of about 8 tons in its entirety on the ground. We will then hoist the dome structure onto the tower in one hoisting action. And next we will place the glass panels on top and seal the dome. For a number of assembly actions we will have to work abseiling.

Construction
Construction will start in February 2023.
 

Main Contractor: De Lang Van der Plas
Construction supervision: KW Bouwkundig Bureau