A new heart for an old giant

Recently, installation company Van de Vendel BV celebrated its 70th anniversary. The family business knows better than anyone that something that has been around for a long time only becomes more valuable when it runs smoothly on the inside. This also applies to the Poortgebouw on the ENKA site in Ede, which is being transformed into an apartment complex. Van de Vendel is providing the building with the technical installations, including water and electricity. Project manager Arnold Looijen talks about the conversion project.

Thanks to its broad expertise, Van de Vendel BV proved a suitable choice for the project. "We supply total installation technology. This includes electrical, heating and plumbing work," Looijen says. "That combination is quite unique these days. In addition to our long-standing partnership with Bouwbedrijf Kreeft, I think that played a part in choosing our company. A listed building brings challenges and it's easier if you can tackle them with one party."

Ingenious installation technology

The landmark building is now equipped with modern systems. "All apartments have underfloor heating and a balanced ventilation system with heat recovery. This eliminates the need to get cold air from outside, which in turn saves heating costs," Looijen said. "In addition, we installed an access control system. You can use that to open the doors with your phone. That makes it very easy for the landlord to use a code to transfer access to the next tenant."

Obstacles

Fortunately, after nearly three-quarters of a century of experience, the company is not quick to shy away from a challenge. "The nice thing about a project like this is that we don't do it often. You transform a hundred-year-old office building into 32 apartments. It's special that the old elements are central to the redevelopment. We saw a nice challenge in that." 

"Many elements had to remain, often in plain sight. Think of the old steel structure. You can hardly pass or pass through that with pipes. Or the central hall, which is made entirely of marble. We still had to get a new installation in there without damage," Looijen said. "We had to solve that through other rooms, because you can't just mill a few slots in marble! Projects like this involve a lot of shifting and almost constant adjustments. You can't plan that in advance, but in consultation with the contractor we always manage to find a solution. It's great to see that we still bring a project with many obstacles to a successful conclusion nicely on time."