Central Station Arnhem

At the moment, excellent results are being achieved on the Arnhem Central Station project. The project involves cleaning the concrete roof panels of the OV Terminal at Arnhem Central Station. Arnhem Central Station, part of the Arnhem Central Masterplan, was completed in 2015 after an extended construction period. The building's design is characterized by its undulating lines. The OV Terminal, along with the other buildings in the master plan, was designed by the architectural firm UNStudio. The structure is partly made of concrete and partly of steel. The concrete roof panels were awarded the European Concrete Award in 2016. The structure was built by the construction consortium Ballast Nedam-BAM and several subcontractors.

At the time work commenced, the concrete roof panels were heavily to locally very heavily contaminated. The concrete roof panels are primarily contaminated by a combination of atmospheric and organic pollution. The atmospheric pollution mainly consists of dust, salts, soot, exhaust gases, and copper oxides. This pollution is primarily caused by the object's location in an urban area and the pollution coming from the train's overhead wires (copper oxides). Additionally, there is a high level of organic pollution, particularly algae, fungi, and mosses that adhere to the concrete and feed on moisture and other organic material. Because the concrete roof panels are nearly horizontal in some areas, there is a constant level of moisture, especially during rain showers. Rainwater can also locally remain on the concrete roof panels. This allows algae and fungi to thrive, especially in areas that are mostly shaded. The various types of existing pollution give the concrete a rather dull appearance that does not match the elegant design of the OV Terminal.

The unique concrete roof panels are being thoroughly cleaned using a tailor-made work method that ensures the combination of deeply nested organic and atmospheric contaminants are removed down to the pores. This results in a stunning outcome, giving the unique station the appearance it deserves!