The Centre for Excellence in Sustainable Construction encourages Brussels construction companies to incorporate the latest research and technological innovations in a bid to promote more sustainable building and renovation throughout the region.
- 14 December 2014
The Centre for Excellence is raising competence and innovation at the construction companies, in the fast-moving field of sustainable construction, to assure growth and jobs.
Since its inception in 2008, the Centre for Excellence in Sustainable Construction, run by the Belgian Building Research Institute (BBRI-WTCB-CSTC), helps companies to build more sustainably and to incorporate the latest innovations in their field. The Centre receives close to 4 000 inquiries a year, of which about 10 % lead to direct intervention and support for specific enterprises.
The Centre serves as headquarters for: a technology information hub called “Eco-construction in the Brussels Capital Region”; an online review of new technologies, www.TechnologyWatch.be that includes a searchable database of industry articles; and two research labs, “Health and Interior Climate” and “Sustainable Renovation”.
The Centre for Excellence is run by the BBRI with the support of the Brussels-Capital Construction Confederation and “impulse.brussels”, the Region’s agency for enterprise. Incorporation of the Centre into the “Brussels Greenbizz” incubator, another project supported by the Brussels Region and the European Regional Development Fund, is planned for 2015.
Technology information hub
The Centre’s “Eco-construction” information service aims to improve the capabilities and expand the know-how of the Brussels construction sector, encouraging the use of innovative techniques for sustainable building and for sustainable development in general.
Through workshops, conferences and publications as well as individual guidance, construction companies can access and learn to apply the latest available technology in energy efficiency, sustainable building materials, acoustics, building accessibility, façade renovation and maintenance, and many other areas.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Centre d’excellence construction durable” was EUR 1 120 000, of which the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributed EUR 560 000 from the “Brussels Capital Region” Operational Programme for the 2007 to 2013 programming period.