In the beating heart of The Hague, on Spuiplein, the construction of Amare has been completed. This striking and sustainable home for culture, education, events and encounters has four halls, which can accommodate a total of 3,600 visitors. There are also two restaurants, a conference centre, studios, classrooms and plenty of public indoor space, open to initiatives from Amare residents, other cultural institutions and the residents of The Hague. Installer HOMIJ Technische Installaties commissioned Cumulus Nederland to engineer, supply, install and deliver the humidification systems required for the cultural centre. These systems not only ensure a pleasant indoor climate, but also raise the singers' performance to the highest level. Moreover, the music instruments are preserved under optimal climate conditions.
Cumulus Netherlands is a leading specialist in humidification and water treatment. ‘In Amare our installations - in addition to humidification - provide the right water quality for our humidification systems, which are installed in the various air treatment units,’ explains project manager Jos Philipsen. "This ensures optimal and stable humidity in all rooms. From the restaurant and foyers to the storage of musical instruments." The need for humidification in Amare is room-dependent, he says. "In the restaurant and foyer, the systems in particular ensure a safe, pleasant and agreeable indoor climate, while in the halls they also have a major impact on the singers' performance. This is because good humidity has a beneficial effect on their vocal cords. In the storage of musical instruments, proper humidity is crucial to preserve the instruments properly. Preventing fluctuations in humidity also has a positive effect on the purity of music instruments. In other words, it prevents instruments from becoming fake."
Adiabatic humidification
Various techniques can be used for humidification, Philipsen stresses. "For Amare, we designed an installation based on our high-pressure technology (HD technology). This technique is characterised by very low energy consumption and low maintenance costs, thanks to a perfect interaction of the water treatment, HD pump installation and humidification lances in the air handling unit. Whereas other humidification techniques are mostly based on steam generation, we have opted for an adiabatic humidification technique. This means we increase humidity by means of HD cold water atomisation."
Safe and health
According to Philipsen, water treatment is essential to ensure the operational reliability of the air treatment plant and to keep maintenance costs low. "But the most important advantage is that it guarantees the safety and health of visitors and employees of Amare. Among other things, because the atomised water is purified of bacteria and viruses (in accordance with VDI 6022 guidelines)." Water treatment purifies the tap water to almost the level of demineralised water, he clarifies. ‘Then, by means of our unique HD pumping equipment and at a pressure of around 100 Bar, the water is atomised through very small atomisers (with a 150 µm passage) into the air handling unit, where it is then absorbed into the air.’ Because of the hard-to-reach location for the water treatment (on the roof), Cumulus added a temperature coil control to the installation. ‘Moreover, because of the accessibility, we assembled the entire plant in a compartmentalised manner on site.’
BREEAM-NL ‘Excellent’
The installation is easy and flexible to expand, Philipsen concludes. "At Cumulus, customisation is possible down to the last detail. Thanks to the very low energy consumption, our method of humidification also has a positive impact on sustainability hallmark BREEAM-NL. This was absolutely relevant for this project, as it was based on a BREEAM-NL “Excellent” ambition. All our components and materials to be used have been selected for sustainability and have a guaranteed long service life."
Source: installatieenbouw.nl
Text: Lieke van Zuilekom
Image: Tjerk Jan Zwerver