Construction

This page has been automatically translated from French into English by a translation software. Automatic translations are not as accurate as translations made by professional human translators. Nevertheless these pages can help you understand information published by the City of Brussels.

   

The sources of pollution of buildings are not only outside (waste of construction, waste water, CO2, waste) but also internal (use of toxic products, gas, asbestos, acarids).

Among the solutions to decrease the impacts: 'bioconstruction' or 'eco-construction'. These try to decrease as much as possible the impact of a construction on the health of man and environment.

An 'organic' house, the impacts of which on the human health are less, will be made by materials which do not provoke allergies, which do not loosen harmful solvents, which regulate the humidity,...

An ecological house minimizes as much as possible the environmental nuisances of the building. We shall thus use materials which result from renewable resources, which require less energy in production, which are not toxic, which are easily recyclable,... The architectural conception of the ecological house also has its importance, its orientation has to benefit from the solar light.

Finally, the ecological management of buildings implies a rational use of water, energy, a management of household waste, a maintenance of the house.

The City of Brussels sponsored and inaugurated day-nursery Gabriel Petit which has eco-construction as a principle. All the materials are recyclable, with natural wood and fibers. The electricity is partially produced by solar panels and rainwater is collected.

Advice

How to assure this ecological management? If you already have a house and if you want to stay there, different means exist to reduce your energy consumption.

Outside of your house:

• Place solar or photovoltaic panels. The solar panels will supply you with free energy to warm the water, the photovoltaic panels will supply you with a source of free electricity
• If your roof is flat or little tilted, you can install a green roof there. The advantages of this type of roof are multiple:
  O they regulate heavy rains and limit the risk of flood
  O they contribute to the development of the biodiversity
  O they isolate the building (heat and sound insulation)
  O they add useful space to the building
  O they increase the aesthetic aspect
• Collect the rainwater by installing a tank in your garden. So you will protect the resources of drinking waters and will save until 50% on your water consumption.
• Isolate your building. A well isolated building will allow you to limit losses of heat or freshness and thus to limit your energy consumption.

Inside your house:

• Prefer products of maintenance without organic solvents
• Aerate the rooms 10 minutes a day. This gesture allows to reduce the rate of humidity and internal pollution, which makes the air cleaner.
• Maintain the heaters or water heater regularly

Links

• Municipal bonuses for the installation of a solar panel.
• Municipal bonus for the installation or the renovation of a tank of rainwater.
• Energy subsidy of the Region: www.ibgebim.be (section 'my bonuses to the environment')
• Bruxelles Environnement, information on the eco-construction: www.ibgebim.be.
• Urban area. The Brussels Agency of the Energy ABEA advises every Brussels worried about a long-lasting urban development for its housing environment: www.curbain.be.
• Centre of Study, Research and Action in Architecture (CERAA) of the Higher institute of Architecture Saint Luc of Brussels: www.ceraa.be.