Sustainable Building Facilitator

Since 2015, Brussels Environment, the public administration responsible for environment and energy in the Brussels Capital Region, has been working on a support scheme for the renovation of condominiums. The scheme builds on contacts with a large set of stakeholders and on numerous existing services and tools. Their coordination combined with an upgrade of the successful “Sustainable building facilitator” coaching service gave birth to the Brussels’ one-stop-shop.

The Brussels one-stop-shop was launched in 2018 with 4 condominiums and the final version of the one-stop-shop will be launched in 2021. Since January 2018, the Sustainable Building Facilitator has provided basic advice to some 3,500 clients per year.

Four condominiums have received a tailor-made support and eight more are being followed by the renovation coaches. Due to the complicated decision-making process spreading over several years, we expect to complete the renovation in at least 3 condominiums by the end of 2021.

In April 2019, the Brussels Region voted a 2050 Renovation Strategy. It is a regional contribution to the National Energy and Climate Plan, setting the building performance goal at 100kWh/m²/year for 2050. The target for reducing the greenhouse gas emissions is set at 40% for 2030 and 95% for 2050 (compared to 1990). An average renovation rate of 6% per year is necessary to achieve this target, i.e. six times higher than the 2019 rate. The strategy will make home renovations mandatory starting in 2025. Ahead of this deadline, the region
implements various activities to raise awareness amongst condominium owners and building managers.