Weiterstadt Prison, sports centre and swimming baths

Megaproject in Hesse’s largest penal institution with innovative solutions from SCHELL

As part of an overall renovation project, the drinking water installation and sanitary facilities for the sports and therapy pool area at Weiterstadt Prison were extensively modernised. Products from SCHELL are now ensuring highly efficient, hygienic and cost-effective facility operations at Hesse’s largest penal institution.

Alongside a full redesign of the drinking water installation, two SCHELL SWS Water Management Systems form the centrepiece of the major drinking water renovation project at Weiterstadt Prison. Smart, hygienic and highly efficient: The two SWS systems help to support the intelligent facility management of the renovated sports and physiotherapy pool area as well as the sports centre annex. The central integration points network all of the electronic SCHELL wash basin taps, kitchen taps, shower panels, WC and urinal controls, and use the regular triggering of stagnation flushes to ensure a full exchange of water in the piping system – even during periods of non-use. SWS also offers a straightforward yet flexible approach to programming individual fitting parameters such as flush times, volumes and intervals. Another benefit accruing from the automated completion of stagnation flushes is that no extra personnel are required – an important factor for cost-effective facility management at Weiterstadt Prison. In addition, SWS supplies operators with the legally required proof that drinking water hygiene is being properly maintained, as all operating data from the systems is logged reliably and continuously. This makes it easy for facility management to provide proof as required – by the public health office, for example, which the prison works with on a regular basis. 

Prison management also installed highly efficient and modern sanitary solutions from SCHELL in the washrooms in the sports and hydrotherapy pool area. A total of 18 electronic PURIS E wash basin taps in two different designs – high-pressure mixed water and high-pressure cold water – ensure hygienic and smart usage on the wash basins in the foyer and weight training areas in the sports centre, in the shower cubicles, the sanitary facilities for the hydrotherapy pool and the sports centre annex. Featuring a minimalist design and controlled by infrared sensors for contactless triggering of the flow of water, these fittings help to maintain user hygiene in the busy sports and hydrotherapy pool area at Weiterstadt Prison, while also helping to save energy and cut water consumption. The PURIS E high-pressure cold water model supplies pre-mixed water, while the high-pressure mixed water model features a control at the side for adjusting the temperature as required. SWS offers centralised, straightforward adjustment of stagnation flushes, follow-up times and other parameters. 

Three exposed VITUS VW-C-T wash basin taps were also used in other areas and these fittings were also networked together with SWS. The flow of water from these taps is triggered by CVD touch electronics and closes automatically after a set time. An outlet with a large pivoting range offers outstanding user comfort and convenience, while the ThermoProtect thermostat protects inmates and employees from scald injuries in the event of a failure of the cold water supply. The prize-winning GRANDIS E electronic kitchen tap was installed on the sink unit in the supervisor’s office. This clever hybrid fitting offers two convenient usage options: the flow of water from this tap can be triggered with either a single-lever mixer or a contactless infrared sensor, as required. Networked with SWS, optimum support for maintaining drinking water quality is also ensured at this outlet.

In the shower facilities, 16 LINUS Inox DP-C-T shower panels with integrated COMFORT Flex shower head plus a LINUS Inox DP-C-T-D-H shower panel and hand shower were installed, and also networked with the SCHELL SWS Water Management System. Users can trigger the flow of water with CVD touch electronics. After a pre-configured time, this stops automatically, which means that the LINUS Inox shower panels help to ensure resource-friendly, energy-efficient and cost-effective facility management at Weiterstadt Prison. As with the exposed VITUS wash basin taps, the LINUS Inox shower panels are equipped with a ThermoProtect thermostat, featuring a lockable/unlockable temperature lock that provides reliable protection against scald injuries, even if the cold water line should fail. The robust, easy-clean design utilised for the high-quality stainless steel panels with their brushed finish also ensures a long service lifetime. Supplementing the COMFORT Flex shower head, the LINUS Inox DP-C-T-D-H model also features a hand shower that can be adjusted to three positions, with matching connection hose and wall bracket. 

Five EDITION E WC controls and five EDITION E Manual WC controls with vandal-resistant designs were installed in the WCs in the sports centre foyer and weight training area, in the sanitary facilities for the hydrotherapy pool and the sports centre annex. These contactless infrared sensor flushing mechanisms with front panels made from brushed stainless steel ensure especially hygienic use, since a flush is triggered automatically when the patron leaves the WC. The EDITION E Manual WC controls also come equipped with a button for manual actuation, which makes manual flushing possible in the event of a power failure, for example. In the sports and hydrotherapy pool area, nine EDITION E infrared sensor-controlled urinal controls with vandal-resistant designs were also installed. All EDITION E WC and urinal controls were networked with SWS to allow the flexible programming of individual parameters such as sensor range and flushing intervals. 

Prison management also used sanitary equipment from SCHELL ‘behind the scenes’: at the wash basins, WCs and urinals, various modules together with MONTUS series wall bracket sets ensure durable and secure attachment for fittings. Overall, 18 MONTUS wash basin modules, 10 MONTUS WC modules, 9 MONTUS urinal modulus, 4 MONTUS high-load mounting modules and 37 MONTUS wall bracket sets were installed in the renovated sports and hydrotherapy pool area, and in the sports centre annex at Weiterstadt Prison. All MONTUS modules are constructed from self-supporting, powder-coated profiled steel frames, with height-adjustable feet and crossbars, so as to make installation particularly straightforward, rapid and flexible.