Unusual concept for an unusual school

A fitter that takes care of croquettes? A fitter that takes on the duties of a construction management company to supervise the construction of a building? A fitter that takes care of administration and maintenance? A fitter that also plans and installs? And one that attaches importance to the highest quality?

It not only sounds unusual, it is unusual. Just the same as the Strukton Group is no run of the mill enterprise. The International School Eindhoven (ISE) is one of its projects boasting the highest standards of quality. So it goes without saying that only RAL quality assured fixing systems from Flamco were installed.

Marcel Vaags, site manager at Strukton Group is proud of "his" company. A company that provides a diverse range of building construction and management services. And that all over the world. The services provided by the Dutch company don't stop at creating turnkey solutions. Strukton understands itself to be a service provider that not only performs facility management tasks such as at the ISE, but a whole range of operations through to the catering in the canteen. Strukton offers its customers a "comprehensive carefree package". Planning, implementing, operating and leasing from a single-source supplier. "Of course we also place value on the highest quality for our own benefit", says Mr Vaags. After all, his company offers a 30 year guarantee on the work it carries out.

The tasks Marcel Vaags performs are as equally diverse as the services his company provides. "I am responsible for electrical, construction and installation work. As far as we are concerned, the installations are more important than the building itself. A lot more attention is paid to ensuring that everything works properly over time", he explains. The principle 'we build the building and then we are off' no longer applies; today, Strukton remains responsible for the building for ever.

In the case of the International School Eindhoven it involved converting former military barracks into a brand new environment to learn, play and do sports. The old building was stripped back to the bare walls, new buildings built and joined together underground. "The reason is that pupils are accommodated from all over the world according to US American standards", explains Mr Vaags. "That means when the children come here to school, then the doors are closed and nobody can enter or leave the building. Climate controls are installed in all buildings, the buildings must be well air-conditioned, and the humidity kept pleasant."

Amongst other things, each building is equipped with its own building services installations including a heating system. That means both buildings can be operated independently of one another. Nevertheless, there are large-sized supply lines that join the buildings. One of the conditions that need to be met to ensure everything functions seamlessly are the high-quality materials used for the building services installations. The Strukton team developed clear-cut concepts as to how the supply lines were to be held in place, right down to the individual pipe supports. One reason why RAL quality assured Flamco products were installed. A decisive cornerstone towards guaranteeing the operating reliability of the building.

The Strukton team worked for two years with up to 150 employees to turn the ISE project into reality. The school has now been running since 2013. And Marcel Vaags is still here: "The reason is we offer a 30 year guarantee for the heating system, the pathways, the trees and, of course, the croquettes!", he smiles mischievously before joining his colleagues in the basement boiler room.

Die International School Eindhoven was officially opened on 1 January 2009. It comes under the umbrella organisation of the Stichting Primair en Voortgezet Onderwijs Zuid-Nederland (SPVOZN), an educational foundation that operates four sites. Two of these are Dutch secondary schools that serve the needs of their local community; these in turn form the Stedelijk College Eindhoven. The other site is home to the International School Eindhoven, which serves the international community.

The primary school consists of an international department with about 360 pupils and a Dutch department with around 150 pupils.

The secondary school only has one international department with about 290 pupils.

This part of the school moved in 2013 to its new residence, which was originally a historical Dutch monument: the Constant Rebecque Kazerne (barracks). Located in the green belt around the city it offers plenty of opportunities for sport and relaxation as well as an excellent environment in which to study.