Old Antwerp takes care of flats: ‘Climate gain is huge’
To achieve its climate goals, the city of Antwerp has to renovate its large apartment blocks. On Linkeroever, the first block is ready for the start. “We’re not going to make it a Rolls Royce, but the renovation will be a lot.”
‘You often hear that they throw apartment blocks on the floor and then you have nothing left. I knew something had to be done.’ From her balcony on the 15th floor of the Brabo I-block on Antwerp’s Left Bank, Sonja Lorrentop has a beautiful view of Antwerp, the Scheldt and inland shipping. In 94 she came to live in ‘den blok’, her living room is full of African and Asian touches. ‘Travel is my long life. Pity there’s a baton for the winter sun reflecting off her silver down coat with a tiger-hair collar.
Lorrentop, chairwoman of the association of co-owners (VME), contacted the city of Antwerp in 2017 after an ad in the city newspaper. ‘They were looking for buildings of an age for a renovation project,’ she says. ‘Not much has been renovated here in the past and in the long run you get a little scared. So I asked if we could participate.’
Brabo I is the first block of flats that is ready for the renovation wave that is intended to make all Antwerp designs irrelevant. This is necessary to achieve ambitious Antwerp climate goals. In line with the European Green Deal, the city aims to reduce emissions by 50 to 55 percent by 2030 compared to 2005. It is a stopover for 2050, when it wants to be climate neutral.
Older than 70s
In terms of old buildings, Antwerp is an outlier in Flanders, which has one of the oldest building parks in Europe. 72 percent of the buildings in the city date from the 1970s, the highest share of all 300 Flemish municipalities. 78 percent of the buildings have not been renovated since 1990. This has major consequences for emissions. The city’s latest emissions inventory showed that households accounted for a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions in 2019.
‘As a city, we have already written a lot, the result is that we have achieved our climate goals for 2020’, says Antwerp alderman for the Environment Tom Meeuws (Vooruit). ‘But the low-hanging fruit has gradually been picked. In addition, specific transactions occur in our city. 60 percent of Antwerp residents rent and 70 percent live in an apartment. It is the large complexes that make it complex, but where we can achieve climate gains.’
And so Antwerp learned from the example of Paris, which has been greening its apartment blocks for some time now. In a first phase, the city will focus on some 600 buildings that are older than 20 years and that have more than 20 residential units. 15 of those blocks, including Brabo, are part of a pilot project. The plan is to double that number by 2024. A general condition of the building is first drawn up with two renovation coaches and a master plan for the planned 20 years is drawn up. The phases of the plan are then voted on in the VME.
4 million for facade renovation
At Brabo I, a three-year process has been agreed on a first phase: the renovation of the facade and the terraces. The cost: 4 million euros, which the owners have to pay out of their own pocket. The start of the works: next year in October. “88 percent of the owners voted in favour,” says Lorrentop. ‘If you didn’t, you still have to sell contributions from your apartment. Did that.’
Together with all owners, the renovation coaches look at how they can make a financially feasible story.
The financial aspect in particular proved to be an obstacle. depending on the size of the apartment need to invest more or less. On average, it concerns 30,000 euros, which is not always obvious for the residents, who are a reflection of society. ‘The city’s renovation coaches are looking at how they can turn this into a financial story with all owners,’ says Meeuws. ‘There are several helplines: they can call on a VME loan of up to 7,500 euros per housing unit of an individual interest-free loan for the lowest incomes. The investment is also free. Part of it is recovered through the payback period.’
Support was increased through information evenings and all kinds of opportunities to ask questions. ‘Mission work’, Meeuws it. ‘We are not only pointing out the climate gains’, says Joni Staljansens, who is supervising the project with the architectural firm Gevelinzicht. ‘The renovation, including the quality of the building, safety and quality of life. At Brabo, for example, I visit larger terraces.’
Lorrentop is on board. “I’m glad we’re doing it and that the master plan showed that the building is in good and stable condition,” she says. ‘It’s an old building. We’re not going to make it a Rolls Royce, but the renovation will use a lot.”
The essence
- To achieve its climate goals, the city of Antwerp is renovating large, old apartment buildings.
- The first renovation project on Linkeroever has been completed. Start working at Brabo I next year.
- The residents are responsible for the financing. They agreed after a long and intensive process.