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32 © Copyright: KAIMANN GmbH

Project - Van Gogh Museum

As one of the leading artists of the 19th

Century, Vincent Van Gogh is an iconic fig-

ure. The Van Gogh Museum that houses

many of his most important works opened

in 1973 and is today the most popular mu-

seum in Holland with over 1.475 million

“Perfect condition means keep-ing them in an environment where temperature and humidity are both tightly controlled.”

PROJECT:VAN GOGH MUSEUM

Project - Van Gogh Museum

33© Copyright: KAIMANN GmbH

visitors a year.

To facilitate ever growing visitor numbers,

the museum was closed for 6 months in

2012 to allow extensive renovation of the

building and services to take place.

Keeping priceless paintings in perfect con-

dition means keeping them in an environ-

ment where temperature and humidity are

both tightly controlled. Building services,

in particular the air-conditioning system,

must be reliable and fit for purpose and

an overhaul of the systems in use at the

museum formed part of the renovation in

2012.

The most important objective when insu-

lating air-conditioning pipe and ductwork

is to ensure that surface temperatures

are closely controlled so that condensation,

that might otherwise damage the fabric of

the building or its contents, cannot form.

Achieving this level of control requires not

only a thermally efficient insulation material

but also a reliable water vapour barrier.

With more than 3,000 m² of insulation need-

ed for the ductwork and more than 4,000

m for the air-conditioning pipework, main

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34 © Copyright: KAIMANN GmbH

Project - Van Gogh Museum

Excellent Thermal

Performance

Closed Cell

Structure

Moisture

Resistant

Condensation

Control

Dust & Fibre

free

European

Class Bs3

Fire Rating

contractors Kuijpers and VHS Lufttechnik

knew it was important to choose the right

insulation. Kaiflex, flexible insulation en-

gineered to provide optimum protection

against condensation, was the natural

the centre of Amsterdam and we didn’t

have permission to store material outside

of the building. We needed the material

delivered every morning, just-in-time, and

this meant we could only work with very

professional partners. Kaimann and our

wholesale supplier, Hanko Bus Techniek

B.V, worked very closely with us and made

sure we had the material we needed ex-

actly when we needed it”.

“We knew from the start that the Van Gogh Museum would be a logistically difficult project.”

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choice.

SolutionThe high thermal performance of Kaiflex

and moisture resistant closed cell

structure that acts as in-built water vapour

barrier, meant that Kaiflex sheet at a

thick-ness of just 13 mm was sufficient

for the air-conditioning ductwork whilst

the pipe-work was insulated with Kaiflex

tube at a thickness of 19 mm.

Kuijpers decision was influenced by this

but what really made the difference was

the quality and logistical controls that

Kaimann had in place. Kuijpers site

manager for this project, explains,

“our director personally visited

Kaimann in Hövelhof in 2011 and was

very impressed. Everything is focused on

ensuring a high quality product and this

is something we obviously want for all of

our projects”.

Product quality wasn’t the only consid-

eration for Kuijpers, ““We knew from

the start that the Van Gogh Museum

would be a logistically difficult project.

It’s right in