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Pardak® from Zoontjens: a 45-year success story

In November 2022, it will be precisely 45 years ago that the very first rooftop carpark was installed using Pardak® from Zoontjens. A fantastic anniversary that we must not let go by, uncelebrated!

How it all started
Let us rewind to the beginning. The origins of Zoontjens lie in concrete. In its production. We started making concrete more than 115 years ago. In 1905, we were nothing more than a small-scale slab pressing shop. Today we have become leading international players in the field of flat roofs. The real development started after the war. Building was booming, and space was ever scarcer. It became more popular to use flat roofs. The Zoontjens family saw a market opportunity for rooftop paving slabs. They started to produce a slab through which water could permeate: the drainage slab which following improvement later became the Dreen slab.

The very first rooftop carpark
The 1970s was another period of economic expansion in the Netherlands. Zoontjens saw opportunities in the expansion of mobility and the selective use of space. By the end of the 1970s, this combination led to ever increasing numbers of rooftop carparks. Zoontjens responded by launching the production of an improved and reinforced slab: the Pardak®50. The very first rooftop carpark using this slab system was installed in 1977. This pioneering roof is located in Urk. The roof of the former island’s fish auction was turned into a rooftop carpark for staff. As the years progressed, many more rooftop carparks were finished with the Pardak® system in the Netherlands, and later also in Belgium, Germany, England, France and Austria.


The first rooftop carpark with Pardak®50 slabs on the fish auction building in Urk

Removable and modular
Pardak® is a removable rooftop parking system based on the use of slabs. Now, after 45 years, the system still exists, albeit in a massively evolved and improved form. Pardak® has proved to be a unique and reliable system that to date has been used on more than three million m2 of rooftop carparks in the Netherlands and abroad. Waasland Shopping in Sint Niklaas (BE) opted specially for Pardak® for its numerous advantages, the most important of which are its removability and modularity. Remove, relay, reuse or extend; there are no limits. The modularity means that it is also a simple matter to add accessories such as charging points and lampposts.

Renovation and circularity
As well as for new build projects, Pardak® is also ideal for roof renovations. The nature of the system makes renovating an existing Pardak® roof simplicity itself; replace only what is needed, the rest can simply be reinstalled. A perfect example of circular building. Other advantages are that the Pardak® system can be laid in all weather conditions, and in phases. This means that part of the roof remains accessible at all times. With such a complete system, the success of the past 45 years comes as no real surprise. Bring on the next 45!

More information?

Contact me Paul Heerkens
p.heerkens@zoontjens.nl
+31 6 51 99 18 22