Jo Dendauw
Facilities Director
Jo Dendauw has been Director of Facilities at AZ ZENO in Knokke-Heist since 2019, and prior to that spent 10 years as Director of Master Planning and Infrastructure during the construction of AZ Groeninge in Kortrijk. Ingenium was part of the design consortium for both of these (newly built) hospitals. He is happy to talk about the collaboration.
“Ingenium has always been a pioneer in sustainable technologies, long before they were mandated by law.”
"When asked how many sustainable systems you should install in your hospital, I always answer: ‘as many as you can afford.’ Architecture is important for a public building where healthcare is provided, but you’re building for 40 years or more. The technical systems are so deeply integrated into the building that it costs you much more to make changes later on than to integrate them properly from the start. In that regard, Ingenium has played the sustainability card at both Groeninge and ZENO. The examples are well-known: heat exchangers in HVAC systems, a BTES heat pumps, solar panels on the roofs, and at ZENO even a solar water heater for part of the water supply.”
“With the 2021 energy crisis, we wanted to act quickly to expand the capacity of our PV system from 340 to 900 kWp. Because Ingenium knew our systems inside and out, we were able to achieve that return on investment quickly. We opted for a three-phase solution with ROI as our key priority. The cheapest solution was to add more PV panels to the roof, followed by 1.5 GWp on a simple support structure in the field next to the hospital. We worked out our initial idea—a carport with PV panels—last. Foundations and a steel structure are immediately much more expensive, and they also had to fit in with the hospital, which has won two architecture awards.
And Ingenium has fully embraced that aesthetic vision.
“Through site visits, a desktop survey, and Google Search, we found carports that were much more attractive than the industrial versions with gray galvanized posts on exposed foundations and bumpers all around. We wanted it to be ‘clean and neat,’ and the collaboration on this project, which was so important to us, was a great success.”
“When expanding that PV system, we also took a broader view, because grid studies had to be conducted by Fluvius to accommodate the peaks and troughs of solar energy. Ingenium came up with the idea of using our emergency diesel generator to help balance the public grid. We signed a contract with an energy flexibility provider that, when the power grid needs capacity, remotely starts up our diesel generator. As a result, the hospital runs on diesel, and the public grid does not have to supply power. That additional investment in our facility is recouped through the compensation we receive for that service. So, on the one hand, we ensure our own sustainability through the design of our sustainable systems, and with our emergency diesel system, we contribute to the sustainability goals of the electricity grid in Belgium.
"And this is thanks to Ingenium's expertise, both in that market and in the technology needed to make it happen."
“Another project involved the design and outfitting of two operating rooms that were still in the shell stage. Since Ingenium had handled the engineering for all the other operating rooms and all the technical systems, it made sense to collaborate with them again on this project. We were able to use the technical design from the previously fitted-out rooms, but to launch a government contract, you have to issue a request for proposals and then compare the various bids submitted in terms of technical specifications, quality, and price. After that, you can award the contract to the most economical and compliant bidder.”
"Ingenium guides you through the entire process from start to finish, both from a technical and administrative standpoint, and thanks to their in-house legal counsel, everything is also solidly grounded in the law."
“Ingenium is still a family-run, centrally managed company without a constantly changing hierarchy. Nicolas Vyncke has been our rock for years, and he’s always available when needed. And the key figures who are important to us have also proven to be steadfast. That’s crucial, because people who stick around know the history of a project. During the implementation phase, you sometimes run into decisions made 6 or 7 years ago. You can find that information in reports, but human memory is still better at recalling the context behind such a decision. And that is certainly one of Ingenium’s strengths.”
"What really stands out about them during the design phase is their exceptionally high-quality technical specifications. They are precise, well-thought-out, and technically sound. That’s really their calling card."
“The project engineer, the domain engineers, the site supervisors, and sometimes someone from the support services are the people we get to see, out of a total staff of more than 100 employees. They are the face of Ingenium. And I can say that they are all very reliable people.”
“No matter how prestigious a law firm, accounting firm, or engineering firm you may be, its value is determined by the people we interact with directly. I call that ‘the guy on the ground.’” (laughs)
