400 student houses in less than half a year Smarter, faster and cleaner than traditional construction

To meet the gigantic housing shortage for students, Jan Snel built 400 new student housing units for Utrecht University. In barely six months, the studios were ready for occupancy. Fully furnished and unfurnished.   

Text | Liliane Verwoolde    Image | Dick Boetekees, Cojan van Toor

In a public call for tenders, Utrecht University formulated its requirements for Campus USP 030 in terms of sustainability, energy consumption, pricing and completion date. "But the tender had two open ends," says Hans Oosterhoff, housing construction manager of modular builder Jan Snel. "The buildings had to make optimal use of the triangular plot, and the number of homes over 150 earned hefty points. We worked with Camelot Vastgoed Nederland on that."

Image: Dick Boetekees

400 homes in V-shape

This effort led to a design that follows virtually the boundaries of the plot. Two V-shaped building volumes each provide space for 200 housing units. In the heart of the V, the main entrance, janitor's desk, staircase, elevator and laundry, among other things, are planned. In size, Jan Snel offers two variants: a basic single and a luxury single.

Industrialized building is the magic word

In the challenge of meeting the completion date, with students able to move into the new homes as early as the 2020/2021 academic year, Jan Snel was there with a construction method in which industrialized construction is the magic word. The homes were completely produced and completed in Jan Snel's gigantic factory halls. Oosterhoff: "You can best compare them to rectangular modules, complete with kitchen, bathroom, toilet, flooring, curtains and installations. This allowed us to produce months in advance, while the foundations were still being laid on site. We were able to deliver the homes 30 to 50% faster than with traditional construction. Moreover, modular construction is a future-proof choice: CO2 emissions are reduced by half."

Two V-shaped building volumes each provide space for 200 homes. (Image: Cojan van Toor)

Aesthetically pleasing

Once above ground level, things moved quickly. Jan Snel stacked the modules at a rate of eighteen per day. On site, only the installations still had to be connected to the utilities. On the outside, an attractive facade cladding made it a unified whole. ''There was a lot of attention to the materialization and appearance of the building,'' Oosterhoff says. ''It has become a complex with status. It commands respect." And concludes: ''Together with our clients, we think in millimeters instead of centimeters, in months instead of years and in solutions instead of problems. Then there is an appropriate solution for everyone."

Construction Info

Client Utrecht University
Architect Van Wilsum Van Loon architecture and urban design, The Hague
Development Construction and management Jan Snel Holding, Montfoort in cooperation with Camelot Vastgoed Nederland
Construction €17 million
Construction period January - June 2020

Project info

'Never on autopilot'

For the 400 student housing units at the Utrecht Science Park, Van den Pol Elektrotechniek plays a trusted role as Jan Snel's regular partner. "We were responsible for all the electrics plus the data, CCTV and intercom installation," says project manager Sebas L'Ortye. The 300 PV panels were also installed by the Montfoort E-specialist. "The maximum number, because the heat pumps take up a lot of space on the roofs."

Vaart stayed in it

The student complex is all-electric and all-LED. "Each floor has a middle section for general use. Its decoration received a lot of attention. For the selection of mood spots, our retail department was called in."

The building consists of two linked sections. "These were constructed and delivered in phases. Because there is one technical area, that was quite a puzzle." Each week 40 units were installed. "Despite the corona outbreak, we managed to keep the momentum going."

On to Lelystad

With recent complexes in Amsterdam, Eindhoven and Essen (D), Van den Pol's tally stands at over 5,000 student housing units. The next project is already upon us: 150 housing units in Lelystad. "It has grown into a real specialization," states L'Ortye. "The key to success? Never falling back on automatic pilot but continuing to investigate whether something can be done smarter, faster or more sustainable."

Project info

Window frames specifically for modular construction

Some 400 windows were delivered in a short time for the student housing at the Science Park, some of them fire-resistant. Jan Snel placed the order to make the frames suitable for semi-permanent purposes and modular construction with Wezenberg Trading.

Wezenberg Trading specializes in the standardized installation of windows and doors for large-scale modular unit and hall construction. Especially for these projects, it supplies custom plastic frames. "We arrange the entire process," says director/owner Robert van Aspert. "The products are produced in Germany and delivered to their destination, ready for assembly." Speed is standard within Wezenberg Trading. Small and large orders with short delivery times are the order of the day. Therefore, Wezenberg designs the process so that the customer is assured of the shortest possible lead time. Van Aspert is used to it by now: "Our strength lies in direct cooperation and effective communication. This allows us to make projects like the Science Park successful."