Circular construction specialist and sustainable landlord realize project together in Edegem.
Purchasing existing residential real estate, renovating it energetically and renting it out at affordable prices: that is the mission of Yally, an initiative of the listed investor TINC and TDP, the infrastructure joint venture of Belfius and the listed investment company Gimv. For a renovation project in Edegem, Yally, which saw the light of day in 2022 and already has more than 100 homes in its portfolio, called on CIRCL for the first time, the Belgian pioneer in circular (re)new construction that uses its radically sustainable, digital and affordable key has been offering on-the-door homes on a commercial scale in our country since June 2023.
“A feat ” : this is how Wim Pieters, CEO of CIRCL, describes the renovation project in the Patronaatstraat in Edegem in which two bicycle sheds are transformed into a home in a circular manner. “On a very compact and uneven plot we have a house of 140m² realized, with exactly 1.5 cm clearance, and therefore no wasted living space. This is anything but obvious with concept building, and is only possible thanks to the extensive digitalization at both Yally and ourselves. Because the site is located close to a school, we deliberately chose to do the shell construction during the Easter holidays, in two weeks' time.”
The house is part of a larger renovation project, under which a shared bicycle shed will be set up for all surrounding apartments. These apartments will also be equipped with a new insulated facade with brick strips, which should contribute positively to the appearance of the center of Edegem.
Obsolete heritage
“The Belgian residential rental market is characterized by an outdated and generally poorly insulated property, which is responsible for a large part of our collective emissions. At the same time, the demand for rental properties continues to rise. There is therefore a need to catch up, for a sufficiently extensive and high-quality rental offering on the one hand, and to reduce our emissions on the other. We want to be a catalyst in this with Yally by purchasing homes, renovating them energetically and renting them out at affordable prices. CIRCL's circular construction philosophy fits in very well with this, so we are very excited to be working with them on this project, says Anneleen Desmyter, CEO of Yally. p>
Maximum durability
Seventy percent of all materials in a CIRCL home are bio-based, forty percent of the volume of materials is recycled. By using the most energy-efficient techniques (heat pump, solar panels) and thorough insulation, energy costs and consumption are also kept to a minimum.
“With CIRCL we make circular construction, in which materials are reused and retain their value, accessible and affordable for the general public for the first time”, says Wim Pieters, CEO of CIRCL. "Our concept - the first off-site construction concept that offers customization - is radically digital, sustainable, flexible and fast: you will receive a customized design and quotation with a final price within the day, and the time between building permit and delivery is maximum six weeks. The initial cost is only marginally higher than a traditional home, while the TCO or Total Cost of Ownership is even a lot lower in the long term.”
Extensive efficiency
To make all this possible, maximum efficiency is the code word - in all possible areas.
“Everything has been very well thought out. For example, by using our compact technical module and smart wall systems, we gain seven percent net floor space compared to a traditional home. That amounts to an extra room,” continues Pieters. “Because the homes are modular, they can also be easily dismantled or adapted to reduce their size or add an additional floor. We also aim for maximum circularity: no material is lost.”
Enormous potential for sustainability
With its range of circular turnkey homes at market-based prices, CIRCL wants to be a forerunner in the transition to a more sustainable construction sector. It is generally accepted that construction is responsible for approximately 40% of our collective CO₂ emissions, 50% of energy consumption and a third of water consumption; on top of that there is the consumption of raw materials and the enormous mountain of construction and demolition waste. The potential is therefore undeniably great.
CIRCL's concept recently won prizes at the Henry Van De Velde Awards, and it is also in the running for the VBO Circular Business Awards. At the end of last year, the fast-growing start-up, a subsidiary of Groep Vanhout, raised two million euros to support its development.
About CIRCL
CIRCL is a contractor that carries out circular residential new and renovation construction (demolition & reconstruction) with a radical digital and sustainable concept: from design to fully finished home. By offering its advanced circular turnkey homes at market prices, CIRCL aims to make sustainability accessible and affordable to the general public and thus put the construction sector on the road to a more sustainable future.
For the production, which largely takes place off-site, CIRCL works with a series of carefully selected permanent partners. In addition to sustainability and affordability, CIRCL also offers speed, certainty and flexibility: customers receive a tailor-made quote within the day with a guaranteed fixed price, and there is a maximum of six weeks between building permit and delivery. Due to the modular nature, homes can easily be adapted.
CIRCL was founded in 2023 after a research phase in collaboration with KULeuven, Buildwise, Embuild, Kamp C and several foreign universities. It is a subsidiary of Groep Vanhout, the renowned and diversified construction group founded in 1928 and which is in turn part of the BESIX Group, the largest Belgian construction group with more than 15,000 employees worldwide and a consolidated turnover of 3.3 billion euros. (2022).
About Yally
Yally is an initiative of the listed investor TINC and TDP, the infrastructure joint venture between Belfius and the listed investment company Gimv. Yally buys homes in and around the central cities in Belgium, making them more energy efficient and future-proof. As the landlord of the future, Yally focuses maximally on comfort and the reduction of the tenant's total housing costs by integrating smart technologies in the homes, reducing the energy bill and an all-in service via the online portal MijnYally.be (www.yally.be).