Projecten

Udenhout

From mechanical extraction with window grilles to a heat-exchanger system. Interduct improved the ventilation in 36 rental homes commissioned by BAM Wonen. The challenge: laying ducts to the living rooms and bedrooms, resulting in a lot of bespoke work.

Location

Udenhout

Size

36 one-storey
homes

Period

February - May 2024

Notes

A lot of bespoke work

Udenhout project

The residents of the 36 apartments - which are rented from Altera Real Estate - already had an MV box in their homes. A consortium led by BAM Wonen is improving the homes' sustainability for 30 years. A new roof, insulated cavity wall, new window frames with triple glazing as well as ventilation with heat recovery to make the houses future-proof. With the new ventilation system, it can be ensured that the grilles and awning windows will no longer seize up in winter, and that the residents are guaranteed a supply of pre-heated fresh air. "If you then explain that they are also going to save energy because they are recycling heat, that is really good news," says RenovAir project leader Nina Remmers.

Bespoke work for the residents

RenovAir reused the existing exhaust ducts for the new system as far as possible, and cleaned them up. The new heat-exchanger unit - Zehnder E300 - is in the attic. There, the renovation specialist installed a larger duct, because a larger duct means less resistance and less noise. "We meet the new-build requirements in terms of noise," says Nina. The system extracts air from the bathroom, toilet, kitchen and in the attic near the washing machine.

The fresh air intake ducts are new and posed some construction challenges. The down pipe to the living room is always placed in the smallest bedroom. Some residents use the attic for storage and install their washing machine there. In these cases, RenovAir laid the ducts in a loop across the attic, to pass through the floor for access to the bedrooms below. For residents who have converted the attic into a bedroom, other solutions were found: running a cove from the down pipe through the landing to the bedrooms, for example. "We talk it through each time with the resident," says Nina, "This project is largely bespoke."

Nina Remmers

"By investing time at the front-end to find out what residents want and to maybe adjust the ductwork, we ensure that everyone ends up happy"

The power of collaboration

RenovAir collaborates across multiple projects in BAM Wonen's renovation team, as a regular partner for ventilation. We help in finding the best solution and then implement the project. A follow-up project in Soesterberg is in the pipeline. For the 36 homes, sister company Robé supplied the roof bushings. VentTrade also supplied various materials. Nina also mentions working with residents. "By investing time at the front-end to find out what residents want and to maybe adjust the ductwork, we ensure that everyone ends up happy. That means the fitter and BAM, as well as the resident. Good collaboration will get you a long way."