'Prefab has the future; also when it comes to installation techniques'

Kernhem, Ede's youngest residential neighborhood, is growing. At the intersection of forest, landscape and urban amenities, 28 single-family homes are rising, commissioned by Syntrus Achmea Real Estate & Finance. In total there are 16 town houses and 12 corner houses, varying in size from 119 to 139 m2. The construction will be realized by Roosdom Tijhuis. The developing builder chose an innovative prefab construction method with ready-made concrete floors and concrete walls, in combination with pluggable installation techniques.

The new construction on residential field (shard) 5B concerns a further development of a pilot with 23 rental homes in the same area, says Peter Dommerholt, project manager at W- and E-installer De Leeuw Installaties. "The pilot was our introduction to the precast construction method, but also one of the first steps in pluggable installation in concrete. During the 'pilot project,' in close cooperation with Attema, WAGO and PEHA Honeywell, we created the design for the pluggable techniques, verified them and brought them to implementation. From the experience gained in this process, we are reaping the sweet fruits in this second phase."

Easy coupling of floors and walls

For this project, Attema is supplying pluggable Click-mate group boxes, as well as special concrete boxes, floor and wall boxes that - including associated piping - are already cast into the precast floors and walls at the factory. "Thanks to this construction method, pipes no longer need to be milled on site," says Jan Tabak, Account Manager Installation & Construction Region North-East at Attema. "The energy infrastructure in the floors and walls can be directly connected." Attema's floor boxes and wall boxes are clearly visible in the floors and walls, Dommerholt says. "Once a home is up, we open these boxes and connect and secure all the plugs. Then the recessed boxes only need to be closed, after which we finish the installation with the pluggable Click-mate distribution box. So the time we spend on site is minimal." 

Quick and effective installation

"With this construction method, we offer a quick and effective solution in the fight against the housing shortage. Moreover, we are responding to the shortage of skilled construction workers," Dommerholt said. "Indeed, this method allows us to deliver our facilities on time, with our own people. Toward the future, we therefore see great advantages, especially in serial (social) housing construction."