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At the head of the Dakpark in Rotterdam, Slokker Bouwgroep is developing the Kop Dakpark, a residential building with 153 homes, green roof gardens and playful architecture with multiple height differences. This makes for a special technical task.
EPB Elektro BV is providing the entire electrical installation. For director Emin Pak, the project feels familiar, despite its complexity. After all, the cooperation with Slokker Bouwgroep goes back many years. “We know what we have in common,” he says. “That makes it possible for us to switch gears quickly and work together efficiently.”
A major focus of the project is in the basement and on the first floor. This is where various installations converge: from ventilation ducts to water pipes and utilities. At the same time, the cable duct route is located relatively low. With a height of about 2.6 meters, little space remains. “Everything has to fit exactly,” Pak explains. “It really is a spatial puzzle.”
To make that puzzle manageable, the entire installation work was digitally worked out in advance in a 3D model. In BIM, the various disciplines worked closely together, making bottlenecks visible at an early stage. “By laying everything side by side, we were able to adjust routes and heights in time. That prevents surprises during execution.”
The building itself also requires customization. The first floor consists of several levels, with height differences of up to 60 centimeters. In addition, heavy columns create additional limitations in the available space. Whereas a floor is normally flat, this design requires flexibility and insight. “You're constantly trying to find the right route for pipes,” Pak says. “You have to think ahead and know exactly where you still have room.” Roof gardens also bring technical concerns. Those areas will include lighting and solar panels, which places additional demands on the waterproofing and fastening of installations in connection with high-rise buildings.
EPB Elektro's choice of a traditional installation method with fixed pipe and wire is striking. Flexible systems are becoming increasingly popular, but the company opts for reliability and future-proofing. “The installation of flexible solutions is faster,” Pak states. “But if something goes wrong later, it is difficult to replace wiring in concrete. With fixed pipe and wire, the system remains more accessible and durable.”
For EPB Elektro, Kop Dakpark aligns perfectly with its working method: careful, technically sound and focused on quality. Or, as Pak sums it up, “If the basics are right, the rest follows naturally.”
