Future-proof renovation project in Zottegem

For sustainable building expert Andreas Baele, work and private life merge seamlessly. In Zottegem, he renovated a 1960s home for his family using as many circular and sustainable materials as possible. The advice he gives professionally, he applied in his own home.

Renovation a logical choice
Andreas gives tailored advice on sustainable (re)construction at the Steunpunt Duurzaam Bouwen en Wonen Oost-Vlaanderen. For Andreas it was an obvious choice for a renovation project rather than new construction. His eye fell on a run-down house in Zottegem dating from the 1960s. He wanted to use as few materials as possible that have a major environmental impact, such as cement. Therefore, Andreas chose wood wool insulation in the roof and cellulose and paper blocks as facade insulation. For floor insulation, he used cellular glass.

Reusable materials
Almost all the materials he used are also easy to disassemble and reuse if the house is ever demolished or rebuilt. Hence the choice of the reusable material Trespa as cladding, recovered from a demolished house in Brussels. The floor structure consists of reusable glass foam granules: a material that is both load-bearing and insulating. On top of that came the floor heating and the screed. Andreas chose cement-free screed, and no concrete slab was used in the floor structure either. All those choices resulted in a beautifully remodeled home with the least possible environmental impact.