Comfort, safety and efficiency come together in Blossem Breda

In the new green city district of Blossem in Breda, 663 houses and apartments are being built in 19 blocks, whose names are inspired by the most beautiful international natural parks. Obvious examples are the Bryce (20 houses), Rondane (5 houses) and Milford (80 apartments) residential blocks, for which Van Vliet Installatie is providing the mechanical and electrical installations on behalf of Maas-Jacobs Vastgoed.

Van Vliet Installation was involved in the Blossem new construction project at an early stage. "Right from the preliminary design phase, we proactively collaborated with the developers, architect and structural engineer on, for example, the course of the installations, the layout of the shafts and the routing of the piping routes," says Jochem Janssens, Technical Project Manager W at Van Vliet Installatie BV. "Here comfort, safety and (energy) efficiency were paramount."

Total approach for W and E

Structural work began in late 2024. "As a total installer, we realize both the mechanical and electrical installations in the Bryce, Rondane and Milford blocks," Janssens says. "From heating, cooling and air conditioning to water pipes, sewers, light and power installations and access control. All homes will be equipped by us with an individual WTW unit, which provides demand-controlled fresh air supply."

Collective heat and power plant

For heating, cooling and hot water supply, the blocks - with the exception of Rondane block - will be connected to a collective EQUANS CHP system. "Both the apartments and ground-level houses will have a 'hot' and a 'cold' meter box," Janssens said. "Where in the cold meter box the water and all electricity come in, in the warm meter box the EQUANS delivery system will be mounted. The compact systems from Fortes Energy Systems were chosen as the delivery system." The homes in block Rondane are disconnected from the collective system.
"In these homes, individual air-to-water heat pumps meet the heat, cold and domestic hot water needs."

Energy-saving tracking lights

In the electrical field, the lighting on the galleries of the Milford building deserves special mention. In fact, this lighting is dynamically implemented. "The lighting here is on 20% by default at night," says Rick de Visser, Project Leader E at Van Vliet Installatie BV. "As soon as movement is detected, however, the lighting switches immediately, automatically and with the residents or visitors to 100%. This maintains the sense of safety and comfort at all times, while minimizing energy consumption as much as possible." In the hallways and other more general areas, the lighting fixtures are linked to motion detectors for the same reason.

Access Control

A combination of iLOQ and CysTac locking and access control systems was chosen for the access control of the Milford building. "The social housing in this building is purchased by WonenBreburg, which aspires to a uniform access control system for all its buildings," De Visser explains. "For example, because it makes maintenance and management easier. On the facade of the new building will be a contemporary intercom system for visitors. In addition, we will install a pass reader, which will guarantee quick access for residents. The access control system will be programmed so that residents and visitors can move easily and quickly through the front door and draft lock, while parcel deliverers, for example, will only have access to the front porch. As a result, comfort and security come together nicely in this area as well."