Pluggable installation in residential construction: A high installation speed
and a flawless installation

In Alphen aan den Rijn there is an urgent need for housing for some two to three thousand workers, especially from Eastern Europe. Therefore, among other places on the Genielaan, an empty office building has been transformed into a residential building with 44 temporary housing units for 128 employees. The initiator of this transformation was HEJA Vastgoed & Ontwikkeling. Construction company Nobel was responsible for the execution, while Oudshoorn Elektrotechniek realized all the electrical installations. "To achieve a quick and cost-efficient transformation, modular residential units with their own bathroom and kitchen were assembled," says John Oudshoorn, director/owner of Oudshoorn Elektrotechniek. "In addition, pluggable installation with WINSTA® RD was chosen wherever possible."

"The entire building has suspended ceilings," Oudshoorn says. "In addition, 95% of the rooms have pre-walls. That made this project ideally suited for pluggable installation. Both in the apartments and in the common areas." Only the technical installation is constructed traditionally, he says. "From the technical room we start with a flat ribbon cable to the corridors. Then from these main power supplies and using special connectors, branches were made to the group boxes in the homes. From here, the installations are 100% pluggable. From the wall sockets to the switches and lighting. And the lighting in the corridors and entrances is also pluggable."

High installation rate

"By installing pluggable with WINSTA® RD, we were able to get rid of all the cords in the walls and above the ceilings very easily and quickly," says chief engineer Marco Ruijgt. "We no longer had to lay conduits or brace them, which reduced installation time by almost half. To ensure smooth execution, we split this project into a left wing and a right wing. All the walls of the left wing (18 rooms) were plugged in just one day. The right wing followed a week later. The installations above the ceilings could be installed in about 1.5 hours per dwelling." Whereas round connectors were chosen in the apartments, flat connectors were used in the corridors, Ruijgt explains. "With these flat plug connectors, we were able to make circuits even easier. Also above the ceilings."

Pioneer in pluggable installation

The project on the Genielaan is certainly not the first project Oudshoorn Elektrotechniek has performed pluggable. "In 2015, we were the first installer in the Netherlands to carry out a project with WINSTA® RD: the transformation of a former town hall into 16 apartments," Oudshoorn explains. "Since then, we regularly carry out pluggable projects. By now our mechanics are well versed in the systems, taking advantages such as high assembly speed and error-free installation to an even higher level. In the design phase, we engineered the pluggable technologies in detail in cooperation with WAGO (connection cables and connectors), Attema (socket outlets and group boxes) and JUNG (switchgear). All pluggable components were then delivered to the project in one go. This allowed our mechanics to continue working at a high pace, without interruptions." Ruijgt: "During the first pluggable projects, WAGO was regularly on site, explaining connection techniques and answering mechanics' questions. And also during this work, the experts visited us several times. Especially out of interest, but also to see where further support was needed or desired. We really appreciate that involvement."