Energy-neutral sports complex De Wiltsangh: Specialists get the job done

In Nunspeet, the new municipal sports complex De Wiltsangh, with a swimming pool, sports hall and gymnasium, will be completed by the end of January 2023. De Wiltsangh replaces the current swimming pool and sports hall De Brake and will be integrated into the landscape. The municipality of Nunspeet is the client and the complex was designed by Slangen + Koenis Architects. Construction main contractor is Van Norel Bouwgroep from Epe.

The new sports center will feature a full-size pool with recreational pools, a competition pool and a target group pool, with the latter two being equipped with an adjustable bottom. There will also be a water playground and a whirlpool. In addition, the complex will include a gymnasium, a gymnastics hall and a sports bar.When Van Norel Bouwgroep came into the picture as construction contractor, the design was already in a final state, says project manager Corné Vreugdenhil. "Essential parties such as installer and groundworker had already been contracted." Gemeente Nunspeet was keen to have a main contractor from the region and Van Norel Bouwgroep emerged as the winner of the tender. Construction company, architect, superintendent and installer are not strangers; they realized a similar project together in Zeewolde. "We are subservient to the design, everything revolves around integral execution. We are carrying out an integrated design in Nunspeet, with as important aspects a partly sunken location and an all-electric energy supply."

High basement walls

Laminated wood is used in the swimming pool, supplemented by steel structures. Both pool, sports hall and gymnasium are finished with perforated steel roof panels. The facade finish of the building is an alternation of sandwich panels, masonry and perforated interior boxes. Use areas are acoustically separated from each other. Part of the facade has a complicated construction, combining standing masonry with a sandwich panel facade. Vreugdenhil: "That presented challenges for both construction and assembly. With main structural engineer WSP and consulting firm Vekemans, these were overcome, worked out and put into execution. "One of the most important aspects of the design is the landscaping. The dominant color scheme is brown and green. In addition, the sports hall is partially sunken, so the building requires less height relative to ground level. "The sports hall floor is lower than the gymnasium floor; both roofs are at the same height. The entire complex is founded on steel through a cast-in-place concrete substructure. The high basement walls of the sports hall required more construction time than previously planned. This was made up during construction and completion."

All-electric

Busyness with the utility (water/electricity) contractors allows Van Norel to work quietly toward completion. "Ultimately, this will cause the construction to be delivered about three working weeks later than originally planned. In this case, all-electric means solar panels and heat pump systems, supported by hybrid heat recovery." "Energy is extracted from the outside air, the inside air as well as the waste water," Vreugdenhil said. "The construction of pool facilities is obviously quite intensive." The target group pool will be chlorine-free - the first chlorine-free indoor pool in the Netherlands and perhaps even in the world, and as such is a spearhead for the municipality and installer Hellebrekers. The energy-neutral sports complex will be inaugurated in March.