'Together delivered a top performance'

Even though Booking.com's City Campus was completed almost a year ago, Jan van den Brink is still proud. "A cool, appealing building like this is something you make together only once in a lifetime," states the project manager of Van den Pol Elektrotechniek. "I really see it as a calling card, for the company as well as for all the team members personally."

At the time of completion, the Booking.com City Campus was the largest office new construction in Europe. To illustrate: Van den Pol used more than 750 kilometers of cable, installed more than 9,000 lighting fixtures and installed 1,065 PV panels.

BIM indispensable

"Besides the size, the integration of architecture and installations in particular made our work complex," Van den Brink says. In translating this into practice, BIM was indispensable. "In the building, every floor is different, the installation space is very limited and there are many sloping corners. Based on the 3D drawings, on-site mechanics saw a realistic representation of the intended reality via their phones or tablets. Location and dimensions of pipes and installations were immediately clear. To figure this out quickly enough with 2D drawing work for such a huge building is impossible."

Proven technology

With Klimaatservice Holland, Van den Pol formed Installatie Combinatie ODE (ICO). "We work together a lot and half a word is enough. That is always a great advantage, but especially with a project like this." Van den Pol's responsibilities included the complete E-installation, LED lighting, fire alarm and evacuation system, security and access control plus data facilities. "This involves proven technology. In this case the only right choice."

Stable system

The 6MVA main power supply comes in its own loop from a Liander main stadium. "The City Campus has its own central power grid. The E-installation is redundant, with two transformers and two emergency power generators. UPS facilities between equipment and the grid ensure a stable system with optimal operational reliability."

48 operating areas

The installation consortium was also responsible for the installation package. "There were 10 interior designers involved, and the complex has as many as 48 different working areas. There was virtually no repetition," Van den Brink said. The Booking campus is full of smart sensors. "These recognize employees and automatically set their preferences when it comes to lighting and temperature, regardless of their location in the building. All necessary communication is through our underlying data network." 

Goodwill

During a long, large-scale project like the City Campus, setbacks are inevitable. "Between initial preparations and commissioning was six years. Meanwhile, COVID-19 caused delays and changing perceptions. Despite the tension and looming deadlines, however, the collective mindset was always positive, even among the client and consultants. Together, we kept looking for solutions. And when things got really tense, it turned out that we had built up a lot of goodwill through our efforts and performance."

Even better

Van den Pol also takes on the long-term management and maintenance of the City Campus. "In addition to the E-installation, lighting and security installation, this also includes, for example, the elevators, escalators and PV installation. Our maintenance specialists are continuously present on campus. Processes are fully tailored to Booking.com's wishes and requirements. Smart sensors and meters collect large amounts of data. Analysis of this helps to tune the building even better to its use and users."

Impressed

Van den Brink already referred to his personal pride in the project. "That feeling is there within the entire company. We regularly give groups from our network a tour of the City Campus. The reactions are enthusiastic every time; everyone is impressed. Even in our profession, the top performance we have achieved here together has not gone unnoticed. And rightly so."