New construction NVM, Utrecht: Sustainable in all its facets

NVM, the Dutch Cooperative Association of Real Estate Agents and Appraisers, is building a new head office in Papendorp, Utrecht, in cooperation with Heembouw. The new building will have an area of approximately 5,200 m², divided over four floors, and will provide workplaces for NVM Bureau, the Holding and various associates. In addition, the new office will offer training facilities for members. Sustainability, energy efficiency and a healthy and comfortable indoor climate are central to both design and construction. The installation techniques of Lomans Amersfoort B.V. make an important contribution to this.

As a subcontractor of Heembouw Kantoren, the Amersfoort-based total installer provides all electrical, mechanical and sanitary installations in the new building. From design to implementation and commissioning. "After completion, the entire building will function without gas," says John van der Mispel, Customer Team Manager at Lomans Amersfoort B.V. "Two air/water heat pumps will be installed on the roof for heating and cooling the various rooms. As a delivery system, 4-pipe climate ceilings were chosen, in combination with (basic) ventilation. In the rooms with variable occupancy, such as the meeting and training rooms, CO₂sensors installed, enabling demand-controlled ventilation. Two indoor air handling units provide all rooms with exactly the right amount of fresh air, with heat wheels providing efficient heat recovery."

Air-conditioning of the atrium

On the mechanical side, the climate control of the central atrium in particular is a major challenge, Van der Mispel says. "The atrium has a large glass roof, which means that unwanted heating is lurking. To ensure a comfortable indoor climate even in the hot summer months, we worked out a system with additional cooling on the surrounding, open balconies. The cooled air flows over from the floors into the atrium, where it mixes with the existing indoor air. Warm air is efficiently extracted at the top of the atrium, following the natural principle that warm air rises."

Jointly supported

Lomans Amersfoort B.V. and Heembouw Kantoren are trusted construction partners and therefore very well matched, Van der Mispel emphasizes. "In this project, too, this offers great advantages. After all, the pace of construction is high. The pouring of the foundation started on February 25 and the highest point was already reached on July 12. In order to keep all processes on track, weekly construction meetings take place. In addition, since the design and engineering phase, we have invested in team development and team building. We organize a session every three weeks, with different players from Heembouw and Lomans joining us each time. In this way we ensure that job satisfaction and team spirit are enhanced, that everyone stays involved and that the project is carried jointly." Trust is the common thread here, he says. "The new building is being built on the basis of a UAV-GC agreement. This requires a piece of trust from the client, which we as a construction team do not want to betray."

Representative and transparent

"In this project, not only have we gained the confidence, we are living up to it," said Van der Mispel. "The sounds we are getting back from Heembouw Kantoren and the NVM are very positive. Both the project and construction process are running smoothly. This translates into a representative and transparent building, in which sustainability comes to fruition in all its facets." 

Following the mechanical techniques, he elaborates a bit more on the sanitary and electrical installations: "Water-saving plumbing is used throughout the building and solar panels will be installed on the roof. In addition, we are installing DALI LED lighting everywhere. A light sensor in the fixtures continuously registers the amount of light in a room and automatically adjusts its light level accordingly. This ensures constant light intensity and comfort and energy efficiency go perfectly hand in hand." The new building should be completed in the spring of 2022. After that, Lomans Amersfoort B.V. will remain involved for at least two more years, to take care of the fine-tuning and periodic maintenance together with the NVM.