100% pluggable electrical installation for school buildings on the rise

Published on 7 december 2022 13 July 2021Time to read: 4 minutes

Tekst Tjerk van Duinen | Beeld Isolectra, ROC Midden Nederland/Schoots Architecten

Horeca & Toerisme College ROC Midden Nederland, Nieuwegein

Next school year, the Hospitality & Tourism College of ROC Midden Nederland will move into a new/renovated school building. At Newtonbaan 12 in Nieuwegein, the existing U-shaped building was completely renovated. At the front, a new, inviting section of steel and glass has been erected partly over the existing wings, with a kinked roof shape. It will house the central entrance, a meeting area and a restaurant. In the existing section, there are about thirty classrooms and modern practical facilities where students gain more knowledge and experience. This includes three kitchens, a learning restaurant, an International Office, a coffee bar and even a food truck. Proper insulation, modern installations and solar panels make the new building very sustainable. The project is carried out by Schoonderbeek Bouw, based on a design by Schoots Architects.

Sustainable systems in the fitting phase

Building Services Amersfoort was responsible for the building installations (W and E). Planner and draughtsman Wesley Ebbelaar was closely involved in the design of the electrical installations. “They are pretty complete here. The newly constructed transformer was the starting point for the electrics, starting with the switch boxes and distribution devices. This was the basis for installation of the power installation, lighting and infrastructure for the fire-alarm system, data traffic, access control and evacuation systems.”

Two sections

The project was divided into two sections for the electrical installations, each with their own approach. Ebbelaar: “Mostly, the new building has no suspended ceilings or cavity walls. Cables and boxes are surface-mounted and connections are made in the fixtures. The renovation section, which was completely gutted, was, however, largely completed with system walls and ceilings. This prompted us to examine whether we could solve the power and lighting installation one hundred per cent with pluggables, i.e. including the wall sockets. The latter we have not done before, but it is on the rise in the market. I see this school as a pilot.”

Wiring diagrams

For this ‘pilot’, the fitter contacted Isolectra, a specialist in pluggable electrical installation, building automation and KNX control. Yannick Boertje, Account Manager Building Solutions, reviewed the Building Services drawings with wholesaler Technische Unie. “On this basis, a quotation was drawn up with wiring diagrams including presence detection for all fully pluggable rooms. These include the thirty classrooms, most of the corridors, toilets and some offices on the ground and first floors. The offer, together with benefits such as short installation time, lower costs and high flexibility in the management phase, were reasons for a positive response.”

Then it was a matter of consultation with Building Services and Isolectra. Boertje: “In the school building, we use Wieland cables and connectors everywhere. This system is fail-safe – nothing can go wrong. Standard cable lengths of 2 or 3 metres are used everywhere, and a single one of 10 metres. As a result, no cable clutter remain anywhere.

A new face at Newtonbaan

Result

Building Services was given the task of installing it. Ebbelaar: “In each room, we pick up a mains power cable from a junction box, connect a Wieland GST18^® plug to it and then use the Wieland GST18^® system to connect the wall sockets, fixtures and sensors. The Wieland pluggable socket outlets are

equipped with Gira switchgear, pluggable B.E.G. sensors from Isolectra and fixtures from Opple. In the classrooms, 60 x 60 LED tiles have been incorporated into the ceilings, and in the corridors and toilets LED downlights have been used. A number of classrooms have two lighting groups (on the DigiBoard side and on the window side), four classrooms are equipped with daylight sensors and controls, and the small rooms have motion detection.”

Evaluation

As to whether or not Building Services will include fully pluggable cabling in its fixed repertoire, Ebbeling is positive. “Based on what I hear from the electrical installers at the construction site, it’s clear. They think it works perfectly. In the market, you see more and more that this typical solution is picked up for schools. When the ROC in Nieuwegein is ready, we will evaluate with Isolectra.”

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