Bernadottelaan, Haarlem | Ready for an energy-neutral future

After maintenance of 201 apartment homes in Meerwijk

Housing corporation Elan Wonen and Hemubo Bouw BV have joined forces for the maintenance and energy improvement of 201 apartments in Meerwijk, Haarlem. The homes in the five gallery flats dating from 1972-1973 will have energy label A after the improvement.

"Our sustainability goal is for all our homes to be energy neutral by 2050," said Elan Wonen project manager Richard van Zwet. "Meerwijk will be the first neighborhood in Haarlem to get a heat network, our energy improvements in this project are fully in line with that goal."

Interventions such as decks and thresholds make the homes life-proof.

No-regret approach

The home improvement plan was drawn up in mutual cooperation between Elan Wonen and Hemubo, says Arno Dankers, Hemubo's business manager. "The improvement plan includes not only energetic measures, but also maintenance work, aesthetic improvements and safety measures through which the Politiekeurmerk Veilig Wonen becomes applicable." This is based on a no-regret approach. "That means it involves measures that are needed now and that you won't regret later. That means you can also postpone interventions because we can do them better in ten years or so. For example, during an earlier renovation, insulation glass and halogen lighting were already installed. There is no need to replace them now. It's a waste to throw away the halogen fixtures now; LED lighting can then be done at a later date."

Better living environment

Maintenance includes replacement of cast-iron down pipes for sewer and renewal of hot and cold water pipes. Pipes are immediately fireproofed by cuffs or the application of a paste. The living environment in the homes on Bernadottelaan, Bertha von Suttner Street and Elsa Brändström Street will be improved by installing a ventilation system with CO₂-sensors. The window frames will be sealed all around. The roof will receive additional insulation, new roofing with an extra long life span and will be filled with solar panels. The exterior walls will be insulated by filling the cavity with foam, the masonry end walls will be encased in a 14-centimeter thick layer of polystrene that will be finished with a layer of stucco. Dankers: "We also did a flora and fauna survey for this, in the new walls there will be aluminum openings for bats."

A connection for electric cooking will be made in each home. Van Zwet: "If residents choose to cook without gas, the gas meter will be removed at Elan Wonen's expense."

Colored glass strips give each apartment its own look.

Fresh look

The five apartment buildings, ranging in height from five to seven stories, will have a fresh look. Each building will have its own color scheme thanks in part to a vertical glass strip above the entrance and randomly placed glass panels along the galleries. The galleries and balconies will have new fencing with slats placed at different angles.    

Adding an elevation with planks of wood composite to the galleries will make the galleries more accessible for walker and wheelchair users, thus making the home more life-proof.

To properly inform residents, a model home has been set up. Van Zwet: "The improvements are accompanied by a rent increase, but this is offset by a reduction in energy costs. The approach to the first apartment has now been completed; we will take the results of the evaluation of that approach with the other apartments. Our commitment is to achieve a customer satisfaction rating of 8."