Platform on new construction, renovation, restoration and transformation
‘Making a fine living environment means more than stacking bricks’
Everyone deserves a nice home in a caring neighborhood, is the thought of Woonzorg Nederland. That is why it does not just develop buildings made of stone, but looks very closely at what the future residents need. In Apeldoorn, it is developing a new replacement building for the De Veenkamp residential care complex. Together with the adjacent De Arkel residential building, this will create a residential environment for seniors with and without care requirements.
Living independently for as long as possible is, of course, the wish of most people. And when care is needed, it is nice if people can continue to live in their own homes. This is what Woonzorg makes possible at De Veenkamp and De Arkel. The old nursing home was demolished to make way for an eight-story apartment building, De Zuiderhoek. This will house 37 independent rental apartments for seniors. In addition, there will be two-story De Gemzen building with 34 care apartments and two living rooms. These apartments are intended for elderly people who can no longer live independently at home and for people with dementia. A permanent team from care organization Vérian will provide care and support there 24 hours a day.
Previously, residents met in the old building. To preserve that possibility, a new recreation room was created in The Arkel. All residents of the three buildings can use it. A high school located nearby supports residents in doing chores and organizing activities. Cluster manager Saskia Antvelink of Woonzorg Nederland: “The school organizes game afternoons, concerts and distributes homemade pastries. This is how the students learn to serve people, and the seniors benefit. A close-knit community has developed that encourages our seniors to get involved.”
Woonzorg Nederland labels its properties using Gold as the basic formula. The properties meet strict criteria. De Veenkamp meets Goud Geregeld, taking it a step further. “There, people can get 24/7 care. De Zuiderhoek is for people who live independently, De Gemzen for intramural care and De Arkel for people who live independently but with a care requirement,” Antvelink explains. Her colleague Esther Akkerman (program manager formulas) adds, “All these residential forms together form the strength of the complex.”
The design was based on the old landmark building because of its historical value. Much emphasis was placed on the concrete grid and special brickwork. Auke Kuipers, project manager at Woonzorg Nederland says, “It is a copy of the old building in a new look, with improved architecture. The lower facade is subordinate to the grid because the folded, aluminum facade continues in rhythm and color in the balconies. This creates a vertical and horizontal interplay of lines.” Some parts of the old building were reused, such as a Sgraffito artwork. This was given a new place at the entrance to De Gemzen. The demolition and new construction also took into account the bats that hibernate here. The stairwells were specially adapted for them. The park-like surroundings with the old stream are also characterized by pleasant living and life together in the beautiful surroundings.
That there was a demand for such a form of housing is evidenced by the number of applications. In the end, even a draw had to be made, Antvelink says. “Here seniors always find a home that suits them. Not only the stacking of bricks is important to us, but also the story behind it.” Akkerman agrees with her. “There is room for both active seniors and people who need more of a sheltered environment with care. It's nice for people to come and live somewhere where the care facilities are already in place.”
Van den Pol Elektrotechniek is realizing all E-installations in both complexes of De Veenkamp. “We also installed the energy-efficient LED lighting and provisions for door switches, the cabling for the People Search Installation and the electric sun blinds,” says Timo Jooren, project manager at the Montfoort-based specialist.
With more than 25 years of experience, Van den Pol is a pioneer in solar installations. “There are PV panels on both buildings: 27 on the care complex, 90 on the apartments. The latter are connected to the apartments on the upper floors; six per apartment.”
Limited grid capacity
At the healthcare building, generated green electricity is used, among other things, for the rooftop CHP units. “What is striking here is the dynamic power control. Due to the limited capacity of the energy grid, there is no more room for feed-in from large-scale consumers. The dynamic control matches generated and consumed power. If there is too much generation, feed-in is prevented.” Grid capacity is a bottleneck in many places in the Netherlands. “That is why we are increasingly installing such a dynamic regulation. Sometimes it happens that shortly afterwards the grid operator allows feed-in after all. A good thing, of course, although the fickleness does frustrate.” Limited grid capacity will persist for quite some time, Jooren expects. “With dynamic power control, a PV installation can still continue to generate.”
SCIOS scope 12
In addition to grid capacity, safety is also a hot topic. “Insurers are rightly increasingly strict and often require a SCIOS scope 12 inspection. At De Veenkamp, EVI Montfoort, Van den Pol's independent inspection branch, carries out such an inspection. Client and insurer are thus assured of a safe PV installation.”
