Sustainable and healthy new building for secondary school students

Text: Lieke van Zuilekom | Images: WSi Techniek

Rodenborch College, Rosmalen 

A new, healthy and future-oriented comprehensive secondary school, including two fully kitted-out sports halls, has been built in the new De Groote Wielen housing estate in Rosmalen. The basic principle at Rodenborch College is that the ‘we-feeling’ prevails. Moreover, indoors and outdoors merge together as much as possible. The new school is fully compliant with BENG standards and has an excellent thermal structure with high Rc values. PV panels were installed on the roof, heating and cooling are generated by heat pumps and heat recovery is carried out. Combined with motion and presence sensors on the lighting system, no unnecessary energy is consumed anywhere. 
 
The design for Rodenborch College was made by RoosRos Architecten, while HEVO drew up the spatial-functional and technical Programme of Requirements. The delivery, assembly and serviceable commissioning of the mechanical and electrical systems was signed off by WSi Techniek. ‘On behalf of HEVO, we engineered the technical design of De Blaay-Van den Bogaard into an implementation design’, says Jasper Blekkink, Project Manager at WSi Techniek. ‘We fitted Rodenborch College with air-to-water heat pumps, with gas-fired central heating boilers that switch on at peak load. Hybrid panels were chosen for heating and cooling in the classrooms, which also integrate ventilation and lighting. The combination with underfloor heating allows heating at low temperatures.’ The sports halls are equipped with radiant panels. 

Frisse Scholen’ Class B 
The climate system at Rodenborch College fully complies with ‘Frisse Scholen’ [Fresh Schools] Class B requirements. The same goes for the lighting. Blekkink: ‘Energy-efficient LED lighting with intelligent lighting circuits was chosen throughout the building. To increase installation speed and minimise failure costs, we opted for a fully pluggable electrical installation. Including motion and presence sensors. This approach allowed us to install up to 70% faster.’ 
 
One-stop-shop 
‘We first selected the right cabling for this project’, says Blekkink. ‘Soon we ended up with Wieland. Isolectra is the market leader with Wieland in the Netherlands and also the specialist in pluggable electrical installation. We therefore decided to carry out the complete installation with Wieland/Isolectra. This allowed us to work with one type of cabling from lighting to sensors.’ 

Correct types and quantities 
‘The installation at Rodenborch College is quite complex’, says Bran Jalink, Technical Consultant at Isolectra. ‘All modern techniques have been incorporated in the new building. Almost every system can be monitored and controlled, harmoniously combining comfort and energy efficiency. The lighting system is also in line with this. In order to take both the assembly and functionality of this installation to the highest level, we collaborated on the sensors, connectors and cabling at an early stage.’ A key requirement was that the sensors had an output for the building management/control system, which switches and monitors all lighting. Based on, among other things, the type and size of the rooms, we determined the right sensor types and quantities.’ 
 
A total of eight sensor types from our B.E.G. range were used: seven flush-mounted presence sensors and one surface-mounted motion sensor. ‘In all classrooms, passive infra-red built-in presence sensors were chosen, which are linked to the building management system’, says Jalink. ‘Through a potential free contact, these sensors emit a signal based on which the building management system controls the lighting.’ DALI lighting was present at a number of positions. ‘For these positions, we provided specific DALI presence sensors. A simpler version is used in the storage rooms, which allows the fixtures to be switched directly.’ Blekkink: ‘In places where a ceiling is missing, a surface-mounted sensor was chosen.’ 

Simple and quick 
All B.E.G. sensors were delivered to the project ready-to-use, clearly coded and including two Wieland connectors. ‘The technicians on site could easily insert the sensors through the hole in the ceiling and link them directly to the power supply and control system’, says Jalink. ‘Because we worked with different connectors for power and control, connection errors were avoided.’ 

WSi Techniek took care of the installation of all the sensors. ‘We visited the site several times to see the progress, answer any questions and make sure everything was going according to plan’, says Jalink. ‘Also with regard to deliveries. Split deliveries were chosen for each floor so that WSi Techniek did not suddenly have hundreds of sensors on the construction site.’ 

Enjoyable cooperation 
The new building was inaugurated on 6 September. A few weeks after completion, Blekkink looked back on a great project which involved a really enjoyable working partnership with Isolectra. ‘Something goes wrong on every project, but the most important thing is that it is resolved quickly, properly and jointly’, he says. ‘In this too, Isolectra has more than proven itself.’ 

Click here for more information about this project.