The involvement and support of end-users is crucial in undertaking large-scale refurbishments and renovations of existing property.

The involvement and support of end-users is crucial in undertaking large-scale refurbishments and renovations of existing property.

That was one of the key conclusions of a two-day conference organised by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) in Amsterdam last week along the theme of energy efficiency in buildings in the Benelux region.

The conference focused on three key areas in which existing buildings can be renovated to boost their energy efficiency: residential properties, schools and offices.

Coen van Oostrom, chief executive of OVG Real Estate, which has been behind some of the Netherlands’ most energy-neutral office complexes, argued that it can be difficult to innovate within a corporate environment.

OVG was responsible for the TNT office building in Hoofddorp, dubbed the most sustainable corporate building in Europe when it opened in 2011. The company’s latest success is The Edge in Amsterdam’s Zuidas business district which has the highest BREAAM score ever awarded.

‘What we see now is that a new office building in the Netherlands is pretty sustainable compared with 10 to 15 years ago,’ he said.

‘The real problem is dealing with the existing stock, so why is this not happening?’ he asked the audience. Offices represent the ‘low hanging fruit’, the easiest place to start in greening existing building stock, he said. One reason for the slowness is that ‘people feel safe in rules and procedures,’ he said. ‘We see this all over the world.’

What companies need to do is ‘fire those procurement officers who are trained to say “no” all the time,’ he said. This will open up the way to more innovation and vision.

Birgit Dulski, a senior researcher at Nyenrode University near Utrecht who led the session on office refitting, said developers have to focus more on end-users and find solutions which they want. ‘Nor should they look at single buildings but at entire neighbourhoods,’ she said.

Energy-efficient housing
The focus on the wishes of end-users is also crucial in making existing housing stock more energy-efficient, said Marc Calon, president of the Dutch housing corporation association Aedes.

‘Investing in housing is the fastest way to get a return on investment,’ he told the conference’s closing session. Nevertheless, ‘you need to ask the people first,’ he said. And at the current rate of progress, the government’s national energy targets will not be met. ‘We need to move towards a performance-orientated approach, not one which focuses on technical requirements.’

It is, after all, technically feasible to re-clad a house to make it super-energy efficient in a matter of days, he pointed out. But the bottom line, he said, is the attitude of tenants themselves. ‘You need to talk to them about the comfort and the free pots and pans they get because they will no longer cook on gas. You need to look at the people first.’

Anne-Marie Rakhorst, director/owner of civil engineering company Search who chaired the session on residential energy efficiency, also emphasised that it is crucial to ‘get the story right’, and to involve everyone. ‘It should not be a technical debate,’ she said. ‘It should be about comfort and colour.’

Sabine Denis of the Business & Society group in Belgium, pointed out that issues such as local employment levels and the impact on health are also key arguments for improving the climate in buildings. ‘In terms of making schools more energy efficient, it is also crucial to involve parents,’ she said. ‘It should not just be about facts and figures.’