Strong in real estate sustainability

Unburdening housing associations in renovation and sustainability

SW Vastgoedverbetering regio Zuid and Heko are joining forces in Nok.5, a collective organization for companies that make existing buildings more sustainable. Together, they offer clients a complete package of services. Heko has been affiliated with Nok.5 for three years, SW followed suit last June. Since February 6, Heko and SW Vastgoedverbetering regio Zuid, together with Aertgeerts from Rotterdam, continue under the new name Koestr Vastgoedverbeteraars.

Menno Faasse of SW Vastgoedverbetering was project manager for the recent maintenance and renovation work on several homes on the Adamshofstraat in Rotterdam. With some 500 employees, the company works primarily for housing associations throughout the country. 

"In Adamshofstraat, we took care of the cleaning of fencing, concrete and glass, among other things," Faasse says. "In addition, we provided wooden facade parts with new paintwork and replaced aluminum sash windows with wooden frames with HR++ glazing. The other hardware in the houses was checked and repaired where necessary. Finally, we replaced the intercom system and post boxes." The work was commissioned by Woonstad Rotterdam. As a permanent facade partner of this housing corporation, SW Vastgoedverbetering has a multi-year contract whereby thirty to forty complexes are designated for maintenance each year. "We then create our own scenario to bring the complex to a certain level and take care of the entire process, including inspections. This project involved 51 homes divided into three residential blocks."

Cleaning, preservation and renovation

Heko Property Maintenance started in 1952 as a painting company and over the years grew into a property maintenance company. For the past three years, the company has been affiliated with Nok.5. Heko is primarily engaged in planned facade maintenance, painting and cleaning work, renovation and preservation in the social sector. Project manager Max Berkenbosch of Heko led a total renovation project of twenty single-family houses of housing corporation Tablis Wonen in Oud-Alblas last year. "We provided the homes with soil, roof and cavity wall insulation," he says. "The roofs were completely replaced and fitted with new roof tiles. Then we replaced the sash windows with wood frames, tackled mechanical ventilation, asbestos was remediated and masonry repaired. A great project to work on." Although that didn't go entirely without a hitch: work at this location had to be done according to the Flora and Fauna Act. Because of the breeding season, the work had to be split into two parts. "We were busy for a total of twenty weeks: phase 1 from January 2024 and phase 2 from October 2024. The energy labels of the homes improved from label F and G to label A."

Until now, the two companies worked separately on their projects; in the future, they may begin to strengthen each other.