For one of the largest building projects over the past few years, the new prison of Haren, we built the distribution boards.
Distribution boards prison of Haren
panel-building
Don’t say prison to this newly built complex, say prison village. The site is designed around a central core, with separate buildings around it. The prisons, of course, but also a youth facility and a sports complex, to name two. Exit star-shaped building with long corridors, enter living units of about 25 cells.
Bert: “We design and build the distribution boards for all these different buildings on behalf of Engie Solutions. From the offices to the cells. The sheer size alone makes other panel builders have to drop out. Within the building market, this is therefore a prestige project.”
Peter: “Besides the amount of panels, planning is also a challenge. The project started with some delays. With COVID-19 on top of that: extra precautions on delivery, materials getting through harder than usual… Our flexibility is being seriously tested here.”
Tailor-made
Bert: “We were free to choose brands and materials, so we put forward ELSTEEL for the headboards. A flexible framework with excellent value for money. Especially towards large capacities, it is the best solution. In addition, it is a hugely flexible system – we can go all the way in terms of shape. Even with the compartmentalization inside. We are the only panel builder in the Benelux to be allowed to build in ELSTEEL.”
Peter: “The large capacities in this project also mean a lot of copper work. Not every builder can manage that. We, on the other hand, design and manufacture those copper ingots completely in-house. And by keeping that in-house, we have 100% control over the schedule.”
Bert: “Those efficient construction processes are exactly our strength. That, and picking out our customer’s wish list together with him as much as possible. Designing equals looking for technical optimization. Also for this project. We are constantly looking for solutions that are just as good in terms of quality, but with a more favorable price tag.”
Design and construction of distribution boards prison
- 6 headboards: from 1.250 to 3.500A
- 117 distribution boards for the general buildings
- 608 distribution boards for the cells
About the prison
Location: north of the Brussels Capital Region. In the territory of the city of Brussels, borough of Haren.
Surface area site: 15 hectares. Or 150.000 m2
Total floor area: 115.000 m2
Capacity: 1.190 places
Includes: three men’s prisons, two women’s prisons, a forensic psychiatric centre, a juvenile institution, a court, a sports complex, an employment complex, visiting rooms…
Scheduled completion: mid 2022
Construction cost: 382 milion euros
