Short preparation time, fast construction time and fully plug and play

Quick solution to housing shortage

The gap between supply and demand in the housing market is widening, making it increasingly difficult for first-time buyers to get in. The government is therefore striving to scale up housing production from 70,000 to 100,000 new homes per year. To make this acceleration possible, a different approach to the construction process is needed. RAP Wonen is responding to this with affordable, sustainable and quality housing based on precast concrete elements and with pluggable techniques, which can be linked in a short time.

RAP Wonen is a label of Ouwehand Bouwen & Ontwikkelen, which has more than 20 years of experience in concept-based construction. "RAP Wonen is a further development of our existing OB2 concept and is distinguished, for example, by an innovative construction process, minimal use of raw materials and extremely low maintenance costs," says Tim van Westerhuis, Commercial Manager at Ouwehand Bouwen & Ontwikkelen. "Within the label, we distinguish three types of homes: single-family homes, life-proof homes and apartments. At the basis of each home are prefab and façade-ready concrete shells (including window frames, electrical and water pipes, insulation and stone strips), floors and roof elements, which are delivered by various construction partners and can be assembled plug & play on the building site. Including the installations. This enables us to save a great deal of construction time, construction site personnel, transport movements and nuisance. Moreover, because errors and failure costs are already eliminated in the engineering phase, the result is a smarter product."

Concrete base

According to Van Westerhuis, the choice of concrete hulls over wood, for example, has several reasons. "First of all, today's concrete is very green. In addition, a survey of clients such as municipalities, housing corporations and investors showed that concrete is still their preference. For example, because concrete is more robust, better soundproofing and low odor. Concrete also offers the quality, long life and low maintenance that we have in mind. We therefore developed the concept in concrete and sought out the right partners for this, such as Isolectra for the pluggable installations."

Right expertise

"We find it important to work with partners who have the right expertise," Van Westerhuis said. "Isolectra is a market leader in its field and works on future-oriented concepts. Pluggable installation in concrete is a great example of this. We immediately had a click." Bran Jalink, Technical Consultant at Isolectra complements him: "We came into contact with Ouwehand Bouwen & Ontwikkelen in early 2023. Together we looked in detail at the RAP Wonen label and how we could implement the pluggable installation in concrete in such a way that the homes could be easily assembled, disassembled and reassembled. The houses are built from prefabricated concrete elements into which our installations are already cast. This means that only the individual building elements need to be connected on site. Because we were at the table from the very beginning, we were able to focus specifically on the installation technology instead of the architectural model. This allowed us to create a very simple but effective installation concept at a favorable price."

Installations potted

Underlying this concept is the IP66/68/69k waterproof RST20® system, including lighting points, wall outlets and cables. "The special cables and connectors of this system are so robust and reliable that they are the only ones in the market certified to be cast directly, without pipes, into the precast concrete walls and concrete floors," said Jalink. "Moreover, a major advantage is that the systems - like the elements themselves - can be disconnected and reconnected as required. In order to streamline the processes for this as well as possible, we advised a supplier for the floors, for example, who is already well acquainted with our RST20® system. In addition, we visited the precast factory of wall supplier Spaansen Bouwsystemen in Harlingen and made several test walls until the fitters had mastered pluggable installation in concrete." The first three wall-ready shells for the RAP Wonen Experience Centre were also produced at this location.

Experience Centre

The three RAP homes have now been completely dismantled and moved to the offices of Ouwehand Bouwen & Ontwikkelen in Katwijk, where they were reassembled within one week and with the help of an electric construction crane. In addition to the building elements, pluggable techniques are also an important prerequisite for this. "One home is completely finished, including stucco, paintwork and furniture, while the second home is shown ready for delivery," Jalink said. "The third home will be kept as open as possible so that interested parties can see very clearly how the home is constructed structurally and installation-wise." The intention is that the homes will remain in Katwijk for at least ten years.