Time to take action on public building sustainability
Public buildings such as schools, hospitals, theatres, sports centres and buildings that house public services consume large amounts of energy and emit carbon dioxide. Many of these buildings have to be replaced or adapted to meet current and future needs as well as safety standards. Decarbonisation of public sector buildings entails the reduction of emissions mainly by improving energy efficiency and using renewable sources. However, sustainable energy investments in public buildings in the short, medium, and long term are hampered by the fact that there is often insufficient long-term real estate management in the public sector. Moreover, decisions on the acquisition, holding, using, and disposing of buildings are usually made ad hoc.
Towards climate-neutral public buildings
To overcome these limitations with regard to public buildings, the EU funded SURE2050 project proposed a real estate strategic plan for public buildings in the Flanders region in Belgium. The idea was to define which buildings will be used in the long term so as to invest in the right buildings and draw a renovation strategy that will render them climate neutral. It was also important to change from ad hoc decision-making on public buildings towards proactive sustainable real estate management. The project brought together Flemish municipalities and cities and the Flemish government in a key step towards climate change. It was important for the government to take centre stage, setting an example to citizens on the significance of sustainable buildings. Sustainable public buildings have more advantages than just lower energy and maintenance bills. “Public buildings nowadays are multifunctional, offering more than just a meeting place, and it is thus important to guarantee a healthy indoor climate,” emphasises project coordinator Tina Van Lierde. “We need to move to a smaller, but more efficient and futureproof public building stock.”
Methodology for sustainable public real estate management
To translate the vision of sustainable public buildings into actionable investment plans, SURE2050 developed a methodology that helped public entities set up real estate strategies. Through a series of templates and tools as well as training, the project aimed to put public real estate management into practice. Many of the existing public buildings need an in-depth renovation to reach the climate and energy targets. This requires a huge investment, but public budgets are scarce. Nonetheless, within the existing building stock, there is also a big potential of finding adequate resources and implementing cost savings. Selecting the right buildings to invest in is the first step. The scope of Sustainable Public Real Estate Management (SPREM) goes well beyond energy efficiency in buildings. It covers a variety of other aspects, such as local renewable energy, climate adaptation, mobility, circularity, multi-functional and multi-user facilities and citizen participation.
Challenges and the way forward
The consortium faced various challenges, including the lack of internal resources in municipalities (people and budget) and time constraints of the participants to work on sustainable public real estate management. A major bottleneck in the realisation of the project’s objectives was the limited financing opportunities and investments of municipalities. Nonetheless, SURE2050 became a valuable concept for public entities and triggered awareness of the challenges, as well as the path forward. Participants understood the need and added value of SPREM. This was also acknowledged at political level, where the project was able to convince that a real estate strategy is a prerequisite to reach the sustainability and energy targets for the public building portfolio. Following SURE2050, there is now an obligation to have a real estate strategy by the end of 2023 at the Flemish regional level. For the municipalities, it is part of the local energy and climate pact, which was signed by the majority of municipalities.
Keywords
SURE2050, public building, real estate management, municipalities, sustainability, decarbonisation