01 · Challenge
Narrow hallway cutting off the living room
The 1930s terraced house in Haarlem-Oost had a typical layout: a narrow hallway of approximately 1.5 m wide, fully closed off from the living room by a load-bearing internal wall. The living room therefore felt small and dark. The owners wanted to merge the hallway and living room into one space. The internal wall turned out to be structural: it carried the upper floor above the hallway and was included in the load transfer of the roof.
02 · Our approach
HEA 160 calculated in a 1930s structure
We mapped the load paths of the roof and upper floor. An HEA 160 beam spanning the full width of the hallway takes over the vertical forces from the removed wall. The bearings in the load-bearing external walls were calculated for the bending moment and support reactions in accordance with NEN 6770. Because the intervention is entirely internal, no permit was required. We delivered the structural calculation as a PDF for the contractor and the housing association.
03 · Result
Spacious hall-living room, light from front to back
The property now has an open hallway-living room with an unobstructed view from the front door through to the garden doors at the rear. The HEA beam has been integrated into the ceiling and fully concealed. The contractor carried out the work in 1 day. No permit required. The housing association gave its approval after receiving the structural calculation.