Smart, fast and flexible. Pluggable installation in concrete

The demand for efficient solutions in the installation market continues to grow. Isolectra is therefore introducing a new form of plug-and-play installation. With fewer technical staff, installation can be done in no time. Everything is supplied and assembled pluggable. Usually this is done behind hollow walls or suspended ceilings. Isolectra shows at Van der Valk Hotel Gorinchem that it is also applicable in buildings without empty spaces, such as precast concrete construction, casting construction and tunnel construction.

The new Van der Valk Hotel Gorinchem will open its doors in the fall of 2022. The complex will consist of 157 luxury rooms and suites, 11 meeting rooms, wellness, a swimming pool, fitness, a restaurant, bar, casino and cinema. Floors 9 through 12 will include pluggable concrete. This is special because all Wieland RST20 systems are pre-assembled so that the installer only has to click them together in the right place. Concrete is then poured directly over them, as is always done in tunnel construction. Of course, these materials must meet special requirements. The Weiland RST concrete system has been tested and certified for this.

Laboratory and field research

Jordi Blanker, account manager at Isolectra, says: "Installer Techval engaged us for this project and wanted to install even smarter, faster and more flexible. We supply the E-installation and provide technical support. The fact that the electrical installation in Gorinchem was poured directly into concrete is really new and innovative. It has to work perfectly, because afterwards you can't access it anymore."

Cor-Hein Slobbe is product manager at Isolectra and co-developer of this way of working. He explains that Isolectra began testing pluggable installation in concrete three years ago. "You can't just expose all products to concrete and they have to be resistant to water. We did extensive laboratory and field research. We even developed special cables for it that are extra strong."

Error-free working

Techval is also an innovative and ambitious company and had the courage to apply this new technology. At Van der Valk, every hotel is installed pluggable and the management was also open to the idea of Techval and Isolectra. It was decided to implement four floors with a unique concrete system on each floor, where both the infrastructure and the room installation are fully pluggable in the concrete. "We tried out different distribution systems and cable lengths. Based on this, we were able to determine the optimal infrastructure together with Techval. It was a great situation that the installer was eager to try this out and that Van der Valk was open to it," Slobbe said.

After the coupling cords and boxes were in place, the concrete was poured. Plugs protrude from the concrete, to which the installers can connect mating plugs. This saves time and material and there are fewer contact moments on the construction site. Because coded plugs are used, things cannot go wrong.

This way of working is also advantageous in terms of price, because there is no more crossing of fire compartments. Blanker: "So there is no need for fireproof cables or suspended ceilings." His colleague Slobbe adds: "In particular, the engineering phase is different with pluggable installation. Everything is thought out in advance and put together. This makes the processes on the construction site a lot simpler, with both the installer and the builder having more time and overview."

Staff shortages addressed

Van der Valk and Techval were so enthusiastic about this way of working that it has since been applied to other hotels under construction. This is how staff shortages within engineering are addressed, says Blanker. "Van der Valk is making solid progress and several new Van der Valk hotels are currently under construction. With this system, Techval can install much faster and it is also sustainable."