Asylum seekers' centre in Burgum (NL)
DICE shields asylum seekers from noise pollution
2020 saw the completion of the first new houses at the asylum seekers’ centre in Burgum. A few months later, in the spring of 2021, the second phase of the construction project was completed. All 64 houses, which are managed by the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (Centraal Orgaan opvang asielzoekers, COA), have a heat pump for their hot water supply. Merford supplied sound-insulating enclosures for the heat pumps.
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DRS installatietechniek -
Construction, Residential buildings -
2021
Location of shelter
The asylum seekers’ centre in the Frisian village of Burgum houses families with young children. Since 2000, this plot had been used for semi-permanent housing, but this no longer met COA’s quality requirements. The asylum seekers’ centre in Burgum is a shelter for asylum seekers who have exhausted all legal remedies and are therefore not entitled to housing, but who can benefit from shelter as they prepare for a future in their country of origin. September 2019 saw the start of construction of 64 new homes, a service building and an activities venue.
Terraced houses
The renovated asylum seekers’ centre is very similar to a conventional housing estate in the Netherlands, with terraced houses and courtyards with playgrounds. As such, when the demand for accommodation for asylum seekers decreases in the future, the buildings can be repurposed into regular housing without any major changes.
Heat pumps
The new legislation meant the project had to be gas-free, so allbuildings have been equipped with a heat pump –installed by DRS intallatietechniek at the request of Hegeman Bouwgroep. Shortly after the first houses were completed, it became clear that the heat pumps were more fragile than expected. So, to prevent technical defects, an enclosure had to be installed around them.
'It was a joy to work with Merford, and we’re pleased with the result. It all looks very sleek!’
DICE
We advised the installer to use DICE, our enclosure for freestanding heat pumps. ‘The main purpose of the enclosures is to protect the units,’ says Oane Lindeboom from DRS. Most of the heat pumps are right next to playgrounds, so there’s a high risk of damage. Of course, the acoustic aspect is also a plus. It was a joy to work with Merford, and we’re pleased with the result. It all looks very sleek!’
