Can it be done better, smarter or faster?

For the Van den Pol team at De Nieuwe Defensie, the road to Utrecht is a familiar route. "As a regular co-maker of ERA Contour, we have been active in this area for at least four years," says work planner Simon van der Linden.

Sustainable new construction

The shell construction of Block 5 is complete. "Block 3 has just started. As with the other parts of The New Defense, Van den Pol is also responsible here for all the E-installations, the LED lighting in the general areas and the fire alarm system in the parking garage. There will be 375 PV panels on the roof. Green energy generated will be used in part for the general areas of the complex. The single-family homes will each be assigned a number of panels." Charging facilities in the parking garage also contribute to the sustainable character of The New Defense. "For this we have made preparations with cables and provisions in the meter box. Once all the homes are in use, there will be an understanding of the need and the association can determine how many charging poles are needed."

Close contact with housing coaches

"We make every effort to honor buyer wishes as much as possible," said Van der Linden. "To this end, I have close contact with ERA Contour's housing coaches as well as with our people on the construction site. With the homes that were sold last, it's always exciting. But we are used to that."

Visible end result

The New Defense is a large-scale and long-term development. "Previously built blocks are already fully occupied. So we see the end result of our work every day. Special, because usually we don't experience that." Van den Pol deploys the same team in the various subprojects as much as possible. "ERA Contour does the same. As a result, people work together who know each other's working methods. We also take experiences and practical tips from previous blocks with us in the follow-up."

Self-evident mindset

In this continuous improvement, Van den Pol regularly brings in possible optimizations and alternatives. "As a co-maker, ERA Contour expects this from us," Van der Linden knows. "But also within our own organization this mindset is self-evident. We always ask ourselves whether things can be done better, smarter and faster."