Cleaning the windows of the hospital in Willemstad is done on a regular basis by the Curacao Medical Center (CMC). It is part of the maintenance in order to make the building clean and accessible for its visitors.
When designing the hospital we’ve also designed a path for the cleaning cart, the one you see on the picture. In order to make the building accessible for cleaners at any point, also in the gardens. This is part of the Safety and Healthplan (VNG – Veiligheid en Gezondheidsplan), in which you also have to take into account the maintenance of the building.
Choosing the right materials
All buildings that we design need to be cleaned after a while. In our projects, we always advise on the choice of materials and products with regard to maintenance. For example, we choose a durable and good product that is possibly more expensive than the most affordable option because it lasts longer. As you can see with the CMC, where we have chosen for colored plastering. By making this choice you don’t have to paint the building every couple of years. In Curacao this usually needs to be done every 3-5 years. It has been 8 years since the material was installed – and still it looks very good and is in no need of maintenance.
When choosing materials we also look at weather-resistance, so that less maintenance is required. Especially on the Caribbean Islands this is important, where the terrain and climate can be rough. Particularly when you’re designing next to the sea and you have to deal with the harsh elements.
Shaping the building
Realizing buildings that require less maintenance also involves making choices in the shape of your design. Certainly when it comes to designing details. For example, what kind of angles do you make on the facade – and can water stay on it? If that affects the building in a negative way and makes it necessary to clean it more frequent, then we make the necessary adjustments without losing the quality of our design.
Every building has the necessary installations, which also play a role in the layout of your building. We also look at which installations are easy to maintain and can perform well in a tropical climate. That differs considerably from choices that are made for this in the Netherlands. At Mongui Maduro, for example, that was an interesting case. We worked together with a Dutch party. In this way, you are going to put Dutch theory into practice in Curacao. Quite exciting, but it worked out well here. Later, the library even made the building more sustainable by installing solar panels.
After completion
We are often consulted about such adjustments. We frequently get a call from one of our clients: ‘How can we fix this or make these changes to our building?’. For us, our job continues after the contract is over. Even 15 years after completion we still get maintenance questions and are involved with renovations or fix-ups. We will keep caring for our projects, even when they are done.
