SCHUNCK Bus

SCHUNCK works with municipality on sustainability and inclusiveness

De elektrische SCHUNCK bus

Inclusiveness and sustainability is at the top of the agenda at many companies, including SCHUNCK. But what exactly does that mean? And what changes have all been implemented at SCHUNCK?

Someone who knows all about this is Sander Schoenmaekers; manager facility, building management and commercial rental at SCHUNCK. He takes care of all the adjustments in the buildings - the Glaspaleis and the other branches of SCHUNCK - that are necessary to become more sustainable and inclusive, and is more than willing to talk about the current state of affairs at SCHUNCK.

Inclusion and accessibility

Inclusion means that everyone within a society can participate in everyday life, regardless of their disability. "Inclusion still sounds vague to many people. In the case of SCHUNCK, it is about making the building as accessible as possible, for everyone. But it also works in the digital field, such as a website that is accessible to everyone. From SCHUNCK we regularly meet with employees of the municipality of Heerlen. There is someone from 'Real Estate' and from 'Society Policy', but there are also experts from the Inclusion Platform Heerlen, also known as the IPH. This is an independent body. In consultation with the municipality and the IPH, we have already realized quite a few things over the past two years. For example, better signage, clearer elevator buttons and control buttons for general corridor doors at the music school. These buttons unlock these doors automatically when someone presses them. For people in wheelchairs, with walkers or strollers, this is a user-friendly solution. Stair lighting has also been installed at the auditorium," Sander says.

SCHUNCK and the municipality of Heerlen

SCHUNCK is working together with the municipality of Heerlen in this. "The municipality is working on inclusion accessibility for all its buildings. IPH gives solicited and unsolicited advice on matters in public spaces and buildings. For example, they test a building for accessibility. They do this for people with visual, physical and hearing impairments. In our case, the IPH noted that the general lighting, accessibility for wheelchair users and signage could be improved. We started working on that, with results!" says Sander. Consultations with the municipality and the IPH are scheduled for about three times a year. "We look at how things are going, what we can still work on and also discuss things like new technological developments. The IPH is also working on that. They draw our attention to and inform us about these developments, such as recently about the evac chair," says Sander.

Inclusion Agenda

Raoul Kleijntjens is policy implementation officer regarding the local inclusion agenda at the municipality of Heerlen. In this role, he engages full-time in inclusion issues for the municipality, primarily as a booster and connector. In addition, he is the contact person towards the IPH. That inclusion has been high on the agenda at many municipalities in recent years is partly because the UN Convention on Disability has been in effect in the Netherlands since 2016. "The goal of this treaty is to improve the position of people with disabilities. Therefore, as a government, you have to make sure you have an inclusion agenda, both nationally and regionally. So in Heerlen we are now very actively working on that," Raoul says. "The cooperation with SCHUNCK in this area goes back quite a few years and that has led to quite a few adjustments. In addition, there are now a number of issues on the agenda, such as door closers in the music school and possible improvements to the swing doors at the main entrance."

Maximum return

Within SCHUNCK the attention for inclusion has led to more awareness of the theme. So when the Glaspaleis was remodeled, inclusion was immediately considered, resulting in a wheelchair elevator in the art depot. "Hopefully we will soon be able to say that the project here is complete. Of course there are always areas for improvement, as in every building. But we also have to deal with monuments and the costs that are sometimes disproportionate to the benefits. We always go for the maximum return. If something cannot be done, we will always give a good explanation," says Raoul. "I think the best result of our collaboration is that it is now standard practice in new projects to involve the experts by experience. Accessibility is no longer a 'luxury' at SCHUNCK, but a matter of course. Through our cooperation SCHUNCK shows proactively that they think it is important that everyone, regardless of his or her disability, feels welcome in their buildings. We think that is a very nice development."

HogeNood

A side benefit of the focus on inclusion initiated about four years ago is SCHUNCK's affiliation with the HogeNood app. "This app allows people to see where in the city center there are public, open or otherwise accessible restrooms. Thanks to this app, persons who need to go to the toilet more often, for whatever reason, never have to search for a long time," Sander says. This initiative came from the municipality, which signaled that there are many people who, because of their fear of not being able to find a toilet, do not dare to go out the door. "For example, people who have a stoma, or are recovering from surgery," Sander explains. "Thanks to the app, people can see that there is a toilet within every so many hundred meters, including at SCHUNCK. The more stores and public buildings are connected to this, the nicer of course."

Sustainability

In the field of sustainability SCHUNCK has the necessary challenges since the Glaspaleis is a monumental building, owned by the municipality. Every adjustment therefore requires proper coordination and preparation. "Since this year, the entire Glaspaleis has LED lighting everywhere. That reduces costs and is of course much more sustainable. We are also making the climate installations more sustainable, with new machines and other techniques, so that less electricity is used. That won't be adjusted in one day, but it's being worked on. Outside the buildings we have also taken a sustainability step, namely with the SCHUNCK bus. This bus, which runs from the library locations to all schools, is now electric. We are very happy with that," concludes Sander enthusiastically.