Wageningen University and Research centre

Client: Wageningen University and Research centre (UR)
Location: Wageningen

Wageningen University and Research Centre (UR) has three new research and education buildings of high architectural quality on the De Born university site. A major part of the technical systems in the Forum building has been co-designed, produced and installed by GTI West Building Services. GTI is responsible for the heating, cooling, sprinkler, sanitary, air conditioning and measuring and control systems.

From the very first moment, GTI West Building Services was involved in the design. "For reasons of image and functionality, in architecturally complicated new buildings, it is of essential importance that we can contribute to the design", says Joop Bouwman from GTI West Building Services. "For instance in the Forum building - an architectural eye catcher - kilometres of pipes, ducting and cables have been installed, mostly out of sight. Due to our early involvement in the design, we were able to make the appropriate preparations. This allows us to guarantee high quality and speed when installing the technical systems."

Entrepreneurship
The activities of GTI in Wageningen are much more complicated than just adding some architectural and functional details in the area of technical systems. For example, the software and the interfaces between the technical systems allow the climate in all of the buildings to be controlled from a single computer. This is also cost effective for the user. The heat and cold storage system of the Forum building - a sustainable source of energy - also supplies the heat and cold for the two other buildings.
In addition, GTI supplies a system that can be used to control the technical aspects of the energy source and that can remotely detect any faults. This means that GTI could also take over the maintenance and technical control from Wageningen UR.
Wageningen UR would not need to operate the cold-heat system itself; GTI can do it for the university. This would make GTI the developer and owner of this sustainable source of energy. The user will then lease the functionality. GTI calls this co-entrepreneurship.