All the comfort within reach via three central touch screens

Gira as Electrical installation systems

De Fluit is a sustainable swimming pool with a silver lining


All the comfort within reach via three central touch screens


The old De Fluit swimming pool in Leidschendam stands awaiting demolition next to the new one. The contrast between old and new is enormous. The changes inside are not only visible, they are also noticeable. The brand-new building excels in the field of sustainability, efficiency and comfort, thanks to clever construction and installation technology. The boiler fuelled by wood chips for heating the building and pool water, and the electrical installation are exceptional and provide efficiency and comfort thanks to automation and central operation.


The old De Fluit swimming pool is 45 years-old and no longer meets modern requirements and current demands for sustainability. The deciding factor in the choice between renovation or rebuilding were the costs, which were almost identical. However, the municipality could spread the cost of rebuilding over 40 years, while the building would only last another 20 years after renovation. Therefore a new pool was built next to the old one. Built to the most modern insights and the most innovative technology. The result is impressive: a hyper-modern and particularly sustainable building in sunny shades of yellow and gold, featuring a lot of glass. Comprising a competition pool and a target group pool with adjustable bottoms and a stand, a paddling pool, showers, changing rooms with lockers and a restaurant and lounge facility. Outside there is a sunbathing area and a small water park for children.


30 years of maintenance and management Wehrung Architects in Beek designed De Fluit. These architects specialise in municipal buildings. The client choose BAM Utiliteitsbouw and BAM Techniek for the construction and the electrical installations. This construction and engineering group will also remain responsible for the maintenance and management of the building and installations for the coming 30 years. Van Dorp Installations will handle the special pool installations.


Central heating boiler on the reserve bench The name on this building is in gold letters, with a silver lining. The sun contributes considerably to heating and lighting the building due to all the glass in the façades. The triple insulating glass also ensures that the heat remains inside and that hardly any cold can pass through the façade. A very special sustainable solution was chosen for heating the pool water and the additional heating in the building. The cellar under the building contains a boiler fuelled by biomass. In other words, waste wood chips. The gas central heating boiler will only step in if necessary. The two sources together ensure that the 1.5 million litres of water in the pools remain at a constant temperature and that it always feels comfortably warm on 'dry land'.


Natural sources of energy Solar panels on the roof generate some of the electricity required in the building. Power for the innovative BaOpt air conditioning system for example. This system mixes the air in the building and the supplied air in such a way that the air quality and temperature is the same all through the building. There are no more draughts and cold air streams from the windows with this system. A heat recovery unit in the technical area of the building extracts the heat from the water carried away during the water refreshing process, and then reuses that heat. The rainwater that is collected goes to reservoirs and is used to flush the toilets. Nothing is wasted here. Natural energy sources are optimally utilised. CO2 emissions are minimal.


Building automation for comfort Based on the international KNX standard, the smart building automation system provides ease and comfort, but is also energy saving. For example, the lighting, sunblinds and the jet streams can all be centrally operated. The intelligent controls ensure that lights do not burn unnecessarily and that nobody needs to check if the sunblinds need to be rolled out. The three touch screens in the building make the system user-friendly. One in the central hall, one in the pool attendant's post and one in the multifunctional area.


Gira HomeServer The operation is based on the user-friendly Gira HomeServer, or in other words, the on-board computer for smart buildings. This server links the electrical installation with the KNX system and the IT network, so almost all the installations can easily be controlled centrally. A KNX/BACnet converter also links the KNX automation system with the building management system for the mechanical installations. This means that all the reports and breakdowns from the climate installations and the water purification installations, for example, can be seen on the Gira HomeServer screens. A report will appear on the Gira screen if, for instance, the chlorine content increases dangerously. The KNX installation will automatically put everything in motion to safeguard safety if there is a fire alarm. The lighting is then turned up and the sunblinds will rise automatically.


Splash-proof power sockets Electricity and water do not go well together, but Gira even has a solution for this. The power sockets and switches in the wet pool areas are special, splash-proof models. The rubber edge behind the switchgear keeps splash water out. Power sockets from the IP44 line are used in this swimming pool, but another option would have been switchgear from the IP67 series, which is even resistant to pouring rain.


Arriving in Valhalla Manager Theo Kok from De Fluit swimming pool cannot believe his luck with the many conveniences offered to him by the technology in the brand-new building. “We came from a dark and musty building where the installations were operated manually. It feels as if we have arrived in Valhalla now that we work in this light and airy building, where nearly everything can be controlled centrally. The building and technology already feel familiar and the user-friendly systems provide us with so much extra ease of use that it is difficult to imagine how we ever worked in the old situation. We no longer have to worry about anything, but we retain the flexibility of being able to adjust the settings. The weather station on the roof ensures that the sunblinds do not roll out when there is too much wind so that they are not broken. During competitions, the swimming club themselves can adjust the lights and the sunblinds on the screen in the multifunctional area, and we can create the right atmosphere in the restaurant by adjusting the light controls.”

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Electrical installation systems
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