Renovation Altrecht

From energy label G to energy label A

It was a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients and ‘nervous sufferers’. Now it is an ultramodern Ambulant Centrum van Altrecht, with over sixty workplaces for Het Nieuwe Werken. The building, dating from 1901, fully meets the requirements of this time, but has retained its authentic appearance. During the major renovation, all electrical installations were provided by Van den Pol Elektrotechniek. Furthermore, Van den Pol provided the installations for burglar alarms, evacuation, access control and data cabling.

Altrecht is an institution for mental health care, where people with psychological problems can go for specialist help. Altrecht also offers consultation to fellow professionals and other institutions in the field of (mental) health care. The former sanatorium in Zeist offers flexible workplaces to psychiatrists, social workers and family counselors.

Hans Hendrikse, technical manager of buildings and grounds, about the history of the sanatorium building: “The building was also a rehabilitation centre for a long time, but in the last ten years it was empty and visibly deteriorated. It was even nominated for demolition, but it is now a municipal monument. We completely stripped the building. We even put a new roof on it and the tower was also completely rebuilt. Only the structural parts remained.”

The renovation took place in an engineering and construction context. Main contractor Jurriëns, architect Rick Lagerwaard, Van Galen Klimaattechniek and Van den Pol Elektrotechniek worked together under the supervision of AT Osborne. The real estate department of Altrecht acted as controller, and where necessary, people from Altrecht’s technology and construction also joined in. “We don’t have to be everywhere,” says Hans Hendrikse. “You also have to have trust at some point. If you can achieve that as a W and E installer, as in this project, then you are doing well. I myself had a supervisory role during the delivery, and I noticed that Van den Pol quickly dealt with outstanding issues and that they worked neatly according to their own protocols. Drawings were in order and keys were delivered with the correct forms. That also gives trust. Even though price is an important item in the tender, as a contractor or installer you can still go for such a job. Trust is the basis for cooperation and therefore for quality improvement. If you are open to alternative solutions. Then it is give and take with everyone in mind the same end goal.”

Sustainability first

The fact that the building is fully equipped for The New Way of Working is just one of the sustainability aspects. Altrecht goes further. For example, it has been taken into account that the building can be quickly converted into a residential location in the future without the need for another major renovation. Hans Hendrikse: “Van den Pol has contributed to this by installing a provision for a fire alarm system in every room.”

All energy-saving measures together have resulted in energy label A. Before the renovation, the building was still in the least sustainable category: energy label G. Hans Hendrikse: “We achieved the energy label not only with the W-installations, such as a heat-cold storage, but also with the E-installations. Energy-efficient lighting was chosen. All corridors are equipped with LED lighting. The office spaces have daylight control, and motion detectors have been installed in all rooms. The installers have helped think about the best solutions. AT Osborne asked for good ideas, and they are there.