This April edition of our Industry Digest takes a closer look at a new energy efficiency measurement tool in France, a strong joined statement on ecological building in The Netherlands, upcoming fire safety regulations in Belgium and the success story of modular COVID hospitals in Romania.
Dutch construction and environmental groups call for green housing
The Netherlands are expected to welcome almost one million new houses in the coming decade. The question many organisations are asking today is: what will be the ecological impact? To make sure that the green character of Dutch cities and communities will not be endangered, a group of developers, banks and environmental organisations joined forces to come up with a powerful statement. They believe that the time is now to boost the country’s biodiversity, instead of reducing it.
Among the participants are environmental organisations like Natuur & Milieu, NL Greenlabel and the Dutch bird protection association. But also large construction companies like Volkerwessels, Ballast Nedam, BAM Wonen and Heijmans have shown their commitment.
In the manifesto ‘Building for Nature’ the group formulates a clear message to the Dutch government, saying that nature should be an essential part of all new building projects. They expect a ‘nature standard’ to be recorded in the new coalition agreement of prime minister Mark Rutte. “We need clear legislation to create a level playing field that will allow mankind and nature to live in harmony”, says Onno Dwars, CEO of Ballast Nedam Development. Read more here.
The French SEREINE project has introduced a new energy measurement method that could become of great value for the entire energy sector. The project is the only operational method to reliably measure the thermal performance of a building in less than 24 hours. For everyone involved in energy efficiency – from developers and project owners to public authorities – this method could be a real gamechanger.
Partnerships across the sector
SEREINE is an ambitious project of the PROFEEL program for innovation in favour of energy savings in buildings and housing. It is led by the Construction Quality Agency (AQC) and coordinated by the French Scientific and Technical Building Center (CSTB).
Over 20 researchers and measurement technicians have been working on the SEREINE project since 2019, spread across 7 public and private research organisations. The team collaborates with representatives of the entire renovation sector, from companies and craftsmen, over design offices and architects, to project owners and measurement operators. The main objective of the project is obviously to create new methods of energy efficiency measuring, which meet the needs of all parties in the sector. Read the full story here.
New fire safety rules explained
Fire resistance is a crucial point of attention in today’s construction sector. When the Grenfell Tower fire in London shocked the world in 2017, many expert groups started working on propositions and new regulations that would make buildings safer in the case of fire. In Belgium, a new set of regulations is now ready to be put in place.
To create awareness and explain this upcoming new legislation in Belgium, the national Federation of Aluminium Constructors (FAC) recently organised a digital seminar on the subject. Sven Eeckhout, who is Senior Project Manager at the Acoustics, Facades and Joinery Department of the Scientific and Technical Center for Building Companies (WTCP) zooms in on the upcoming regulations for the fire safety of facades. These new rules are expected to be published in a Royal Decree in the autumn of 2021, with the aim of taking effect by 1 July 2022 at the latest. Read the full story here.
Romanian architecture studio designed over 23.000 m2 of modular COVID hospitals
The Romanian healthcare-specialised architecture studio Tessaract had designed a total of 7 modular hospitals since the COVID pandemic broke out last year. These hospitals, where severe and medium cases of COVID-19 patients can be treated, were made out of containers which would otherwise be left empty and unused in the country’s ports.
Raluca Șoaita, the founder of Tessaract Architecture, says the team did not hesitate to act when the pandemic reached western Europe in early 2020. The studio managed to build the first modular constructions at a cost starting as low as € 6.000 per container. The architects believe that these modules can be reused for other sectors in the future, such as logistics, industry and agriculture. Read the full story here.
