Valstar Simonis

Valstar Simonis is een onafhankelijk Nederlands ingenieursbedrijf op het gebied van technische gebouwinstallaties met vestigingen in Rijswijk, Apeldoorn, Amsterdam, Eindhoven en Groningen. Ons bureau telt ruim negentig vaste medewerkers, verdeeld over alle disciplines. Hierdoor zijn we in staat de continuïteit te waarborgen en snel te schakelen. Al deze mensen zijn gekwalificeerd en veelal zeer ervaren. We hebben een laag verloop. Geregeld stromen er jonge mensen in die academisch of HBO geschoold zijn. De gemiddelde leeftijd is eenenveertig jaar. Vanzelfsprekend beheersen diverse medewerkers de kostencalculaties en de techniek van het bestekschrijven volgens de Stabu-methodiek.

Marktsegmenten:
– Gezondheidszorg
– Onderwijs
– Kantoren
– Datacenters
– Multifunctionele wooncomplexen
– Culturele voorzieningen

Specialismen:
– Energie-advies en duurzame ontwikkelingen
– Beheer- en onderhoudsadvisering
– (brand)Beveiliging
– ICT advies en dienstverlening

INTERNSHIPS

At Valstar Simonis we are pleased to welcome motivated, inspired and enthusiastic students who, like us, feel the need to create a better world for future generations.

On a daily basis we work on an average of  175 different impressive projects, such as the renovation of De Nederlandsche Bank, Paleis ‘t Loo and several universities among which the TUe. We are with about 70 employees, operating from our offices in The Hague, Apeldoorn, Eindhoven and Groningen.

Valstar Simonis offers guidance to students who want to gain experience in their field of study and at the same time get to know our beautiful and lively organization where it is brimming with technical expertise.

Would you like to research a technical issue? For example, with a high-tech specialist subject or something at the interface of technology and organization? Then take a look at our overview of internship assignments.

Please note that the main language in our offices is Dutch.

OVERVIEW OF ASSIGNMENTS BY SUBJECT

THEME: BIM AND BUILDING PROJECTS

From clashes to digital twins, and from energy calculations to visualizing Smart building.

Facilities: the 3D model (BIM) of a construction project offers tremendous opportunities for research assignments. Some examples:

Subject: Linking BIM to applications.

By linking the 3D models to other software packages such as Vabi, Design Builder and Honeybee, we can assess different designs faster and more efficiently. Perhaps you know how to make a link between Revit and an energy model to work more efficiently this way?

Subject: Analyzing design errors and optimizing the design process

Can designs be optimized by investigating the number and type of clashes that occur during the design phases of already executed projects?

Subject: Digital twins

There are still few examples of working digital twins applications, and they require a huge investment. Is it possible to identify the impact and return on investment of digital twins technology?

THEME: BUILDING PERFORMANCE

Both plant capacity and utilization are an important part of the design of a building project. Ultimately, you only know to what extent the design satisfies after commissioning. To make the design process itself also circular, we would like to know how our designs perform and what we can learn from them.

Subject: Design performance – capacity

Find out what the actual electricity consumption/capacity of a building’s connection is after commissioning versus our design assumptions at a Preliminary Design/Developed Design stage.

Subject: Design performance – consumption

How does the actual energy consumption compare to the predicted (calculated) energy consumption? What factors are involved? This can be a case study or a broad, database-oriented investigation. This research can connect to previous research on energy calculations conducted within Valstar Simonis.

Subject: Energy consumption per EED

European Energy Directive (technical/commercial/marketing): In 2012, the European EED Directive was drafted that is intended to encourage building owners to make their buildings more sustainable (i.e.: lower energy consumption). What exactly does the legislation look like? What impact will it have on building installations? How can Valstar Simonis help building owners to comply with this legislation?

Subject: NTA 8800

Energy (consumption) model: Adapting/upgrading the existing Energy Model to the new standard NTA 8800 (but with more accurate values per hour). This is because this standard is also suitable for existing buildings. Possibly this data can also be used for input in the ANSI/ASHRAE 105-2014 (US/international standard), allowing buildings to be compared worldwide.

THEME: ENERGY AND INNOVATION

Ongoing developments in renewable energy supply are often of great importance in the design process itself.

Subject: Energy storage: electrical

What developments are there in relatively large-scale storage of electrical energy, for example, to replacement of emergency power generators? Advantages, disadvantages, costs and fire safety. Or for peak capture.

Subject: Energy switch

Valstar is working on a scale-up project related to a new technology for speeding up the energy transition. This technology is a link between green energy storage, batteries and hydrogen production. Will you help our team better understand this technology by researching the technology itself, up-scaling (including manufacturing) the technology, and its applications?

Subject: Gasless design

Gasless installation concepts (technical): With which installation / building concepts can we achieve comfort in buildings without the need for fossil fuels? Mapping the advantages and disadvantages including the subsidy possibilities. This study should help our consultants to apply these concepts more often and bring them to the attention of our clients.

Subject: Hydrogen

Hydrogen is seen as “the energy carrier of the future”. What are the possibilities of applying hydrogen in building installations? This assignment could possibly tie in with previous research within Valstar Simonis.

THEME: SMART BUILDINGS

The popularity of smart solutions requires a critical approach to the many aspects involved.

Subject: Smart building applications

What are the developments of smart building applications in climate systems?

Subject: Communication

The foundation of a data-driven world is communication. Communication within installations, between installations, and to users. Consider recent developments in data buses and protocols, such as PoE, mesh, WiFi, Bacnet/IP, Bluetooth, REST(ful) API, MQTT, Modbus/IP, KNX/ IP, Webhooks, SQL databases via JDBC. This should include qualitative aspects of information such as protocols for setting up a datalake, such as project haystack and Brick schemas. Our organization seeks broader understanding of the variety of communications, possible applications and future-proofing.

Subject: Visualizing the design process

What design principles apply in the visualization of smart building information?

Subject: Smart building efficiency

What is the efficiency of smart building installations?

Subject: Smart building design process

What is the roadmap to achieve a smart building ready design?

THEME: CIRCULARITY

Circularity accelerates the sustainable use of materials in construction projects.

Subject: Circularity

What is the best way to realize detachability for installations? Which flexible and adaptive installation concepts can be distinguished and which installation concepts score well in the MPG?

Do you have other interesting research suggestions and would you like to discuss them with us? Then contact our HR Officer Jennifer Pronk at j.pronk@valstar-simonis.nl. She will ensure that you are introduced to the right colleague at Valstar Simonis.