This Peak Gas Installation (PGI) control room in Alkmaar is the result of a renovation and interior design assignment that we undertook on behalf of TAQA, the international energy and water company. This is the room from which Europe’s largest, open-access gas reservoir is operated. One of the biggest challenges we faced with this project was that the facility had to remain fully operational during construction.
Given the nature of the client’s business, safety is a major priority. Consequently, control room personnel must remain alert at all times. With this in mind, we paid a great deal of attention to optimising airflow and acoustic performance, and to the admission of natural light. We also installed adaptive lighting that supports the body’s natural biorhythm, thereby facilitating 24/7 operation without compromising vigilance, not even at night.
The predominantly wood and glass interior is bright, spacious and highly secure. We opened up the front office by replacing its blank walls with curved glass partition walls. In addition to the control room itself, we built a reception area, engineering area, flexible workspaces, a meeting room with video-conferencing facilities, a kitchen and restrooms. The cupboards are custom-made and double as partition walls. Between the front office and the technical areas runs a wall clad in European oak veneer panelling. This wall forms the backbone of the publicly accessible spaces, and is trimmed with energy-efficient LED lighting, which further amplifies the facility’s spaciousness.
Behind the front office are new server rooms, equipped with innovative, energy-efficient climate control systems that use recycled waste heat from the servers to heat the rest of the building. In addition, all the technical areas are fitted with energy-efficient lighting. Finally, we were able to organise the building systems much more efficiently, thereby freeing up enough room for a new archive.
| Location | Alkmaar, The Netherlands |
| Total floor area | 432 m² |
| Project description | Renovation of a central control room and provision of flexible workspaces, video conferencing room, server space, engineering area, archive, kitchen, changing room and toilets |
| Start of design | November 2012 |
| Start of construction | May 2013 |
| Project completion | October 2013 |
| Client | TAQA |
| Occupant | TAQA |
| Project architect | Paul de Ruiter |
| Project team | Roel Rutgers, Laura van de Pol |
| Project management | Marlous Vriethoff |
| Construction consultant | Van Rossum |
| Mechanical and electrical systems | DWA en ingenieursbureau XYZ |
| Structural engineering | DWA |
| Costs consultants | bbn adviseurs |
| Contractor | M.J. de Nijs en Zonen bv |
| Interior architect | Paul de Ruiter Architects |
