Exemplary Buildings: Success Stories (from Brussels)
In the face of all the uncertainty about the future, is it possible to imagine a city becoming more beautiful, more practical and more economical to live in, while at the same time becoming more sustainable? This was the challenge the Brussels-Capital Region set itself in 2007 - and its response was to launch the Batex call for projects targeting everyone wanting to build or refurbish a building in Brussels. This short publication by Brussels Environment describes the Exemplary Buildings call for proposals (2007-2009). The “Exemplary Buildings” program (Bâtiments Exemplaires, or BatEx) is the main financial incentive instrument of the Brussels regional authorities to encourage demand for very high energy efficient construction. Since 2007, the region has organized five annual calls for proposals (with the exeption of 2010), disbursing € 5 million per year. The term "Batex" is the abbreviation for 'Bâtiments exemplaires' or 'Exemplary buildings', and the whole idea is to leverage each project, whether large or small, whether private or public, to spread the word about eco-construction, what it involves and how it can help transform the city, building by building. On the occasion of the 5th call for projects, Brussels Environment is providing this review of the selected projects, telling their success stories.
Bernard Deprez is an architectural engineer and lecturer at the Universite libre de Bruxelles Faculty of Architecture.
Jean Cech is a journalist, specialised for almost 30 years in topics associated with sustainable development.
This book is published under the leadership of Brussels Environment and the Brussels Ministry of the Environment, Energy and Urban Renewal.
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