The housing and climate crisis has placed the renovation of 20th-century social housing very high on the agenda. Many of these buildings have reached a turning point: the life cycle of various materials is coming to an end, the integration of housing into the urban fabric needs to be re-examined, and the habitability and functionality of the buildings no longer match the demographic composition of the population, and so on. But the involvement of residents also deserves broader consideration. And all this through an accelerated yet well-considered approach.

More than half of Brussels’ greenhouse gas emissions stem from the energy consumption of buildings. Brussels’ housing stock was predominantly built before the 1960s and consumes proportionally much more energy than in other European countries. ¹ A third of buildings are not insulated at all. As the current pace of renovation is far from sufficient, the Brussels-Capital Region has launched ‘Renolution’, a strategy for the renovation of buildings. With this, it aims to kill three birds with one stone: ease the pressure on energy bills, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the living comfort of Brussels residents. Furthermore, the renovation strategy could lead to the creation of nearly 8,000 direct and indirect, diverse, sustainable, and often non-relocatable jobs. 1 Belgium’s energy consumption is 70 per cent above the European average. https://www.be-reel.be/about-be-reel-en