A more sustainable planet for the generation after us: ''I think everyone should take the lead in that themselves''

We speak with Executive Erik van der Meulen, who works at project office Velox, and who started sustainable development as of December 2020. With first-hand experience, he talks about what he sees happening in the built environment to be made more sustainable.

With a construction education as well as a contractor's degree (KOB) in his pocket, Van der Meulen has been drawing energy from sustainability in various forms for more than a decade. "Besides, among other things, the Zero-Meter projects I am directly involved in, I have a personal affinity with sustainability. My intrinsic motivation for this is that I want to leave the planet more sustainable for the generation after us. I believe that everyone should take the lead in this themselves."

So with a passion for wood construction, for example, he took up the development of Tiny Houses on a personal level. "Practice what you preach, so I wanted to take up the challenge of working with small, sustainable homes that fit easily into area developments. All-electric, with wooden cladding, well insulated and self-sufficient."

INCREASING ATTENTION

According to him, the fact that sustainability can no longer be ignored in the construction and real estate sector is evidenced by the growing attention being paid to it. "From municipalities, property developers, housing corporations. We are getting more and more concerned questions from such parties about the various sustainability routes and innovations around this. The awareness is growing and also has an effect on our enthusiasm for preaching sustainability."

Attention to this has accelerated in recent years, but the advance came about around the start of the last decade. "You saw then that more attention was paid to tightened EPC requirements and that more and more buildings with, for example, thermal storage (WKO) were being constructed. Sustainability measures such as floor and low temperature heating and renewable energy increasingly came into the picture and were requested by clients in order to create future-proof real estate. This trend is fortunately continuing."

ENSURING QUALITY

In early December, the next sustainability milestone came into view for Van der Meulen. That's when he started as Engineering Superintendent at project agency Velox and went to work on a housing project in Numansdorp, South Holland. "There we are building 24 homes that will be fed with a WKO installation and thus be prepared for the future."

Van der Meulen's "duties" include supervising construction from an early stage through to the festive handover. "I support in all facets of construction and keep in close contact with the project leader and work planner. Think, for example, of coordinating and structuring the planning, cost control and quality. Ensuring sustainability also plays an important role."

AIRTIGHTNESS AS A FOCAL POINT

In the latter two facets, Van der Meulen sees an interesting challenge. "We see a growing awareness for quality assurance in construction, which from 2021 will also be accelerated with legislation [Wet Kwaliteitsborging voor het Bouwen, ed.]. In the area of sustainability, airtightness, among other things, is a focus. For example, if you are going for an ambition such as BENG (Nearly Energy Neutral Buildings) or Zero-Meter, it is essential to take a good look at the insulation and envelope of your buildings to reduce your heat losses. First, make sure you have a good warm coat from the Trias Energetica idea. I call for more attention to making homes airtight, so that we as a sector deliver the performance we promise on the front end."

Construction of the 24 ground-level homes Van der Meulen is working on began late last year. Completion is scheduled for this summer. ''We look forward to making the property future-proof."