Climate | Revive World

REDUCE – CLIMATE CHANGE

As a project developer, we have a massive responsibility to reduce climate damage and restore nature. From the outset, Revive has been dedicated to respecting planetary boundaries through innovative design principles. Our projects are held to stringent carbon budgets that align with best practice targets, often surpassing legal mandatory standards.

Historically, the focus has been on reducing operational carbon through measures. However, to meet climate targets, reducing embodied carbon is also crucial. By measuring embodied carbon, we can make informed decisions to minimise our negative impact. These are our PERFORMANCE DRIVERS:

MINIMIZE OPERATIONAL CARBON

Use renewable energy only

Power all buildings and developments exclusively with renewable energy sources. No gas infrastructure will be installed, and any energy needs that cannot be met on-site will be primarily supplied through purchased electricity.

Lower primary energy demand

Strive for best-of-industry standards in energy efficiency and resilience in the use phase. Use energy effective systems only to efficiently utilise the energy needed in all buildings.

Apply onsite renewable energy systems

We will continue to research and implement on-site renewable energy systems for both residential and commercial buildings. This can include solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass, for electricity, heating, cooling, and other applications.

REDUCE EMBODIED CARBON

Perform carbon lifecycle assessments

Projects are designed and built with a high level of material efficiency to minimise carbon footprint. Integrate a lifecycle specialist from the very first designs and set targets, aiming to maximise carbon reduction, understanding that the biggest gains are made in the design stage.

Raise the renovation rate

Prioritise adapting and repurposing existing buildings for new uses instead of demolishing them, significantly reducing the carbon emissions associated with construction and material production. Additionally, preserve and restore historical buildings, maintaining their original materials and architectural features by involving heritage experts, former users and local stakeholders to understand the past of the site and its potential for reuse.

Conduct climate risk assessment

Apply data-driven assessment from the impacts of climate change on potential sites for acquisition, including extreme weather events that can damage infrastructure and properties, as well as its negatively influence the comfort of residents and surrounding neighbourhoods.

Filip Maes, construction manager at Revive

From the outset, with Revive, we have focused on energy-efficient homes. In our first project back in 2010, Den Draad, we had to fight to demonstrate that residential areas without gas networks were feasible. While we were pioneers in the field of gas-free neighbourhoods in the past, we are pleased to see that today’s new residential areas without gas networks are increasingly becoming the standard. We anticipate that this will also be translated into legislation in the future, throughout all European.”

100%

Since 2019, all projects managed and delivered by Revive were equipped with renewable energy, 6 years ahead of legal enforcement in 2025.

6

Our proactive stance has placed us ahead of industry standards.
Since 2019, Revive has offered products powered entirely by 100% renewable operational energy, a landmark achievement that came six years ahead of any legal requirements.

1st

In 2021 we were the first large-scale applier of recycled concrete at our Komet site in Mechelen. Using 5.000 m3 of recycled concrete resulted in a saving of 7.500 km of heavy-load transport. Today the use of recycled aggregates in concrete is implemented on many construction sites.

41%

The energy ratings of all build units are 44% better than legally enforced at time of delivery, annually saving an extra 180 tons of CO2.

Ambitions

Striving to continuously improve our environmental impact, we defined the following ambitions for the future:

Average footprint of 400 kg CO2 eq/m2 by 2030

Our goal for 2030 is to achieve an average footprint of 400 kg CO2 eq/m2. By increasingly focusing on the reuse of buildings, we aim to reach 250 kg CO2 eq/m2 by 2035. While the exact path to a net-zero target is not yet entirely clear, we are confident that a combination of innovations, sustainability efforts, and partnerships will make it achievable.

Ongoing pioneering in climate-neutral

At Revive’s pipeline project Marie Thumas in Leuven we have started a pilot for a heat network combining aquathermal, geothermal and solar energy together. The combination of energy from water, soil, air and sun should ensure that the entire area can be climate-neutrally heated and cooled. This is a first in Flanders. At the Vynckier site in Ghent we are investigating the feasibility of a district heating network that connects waste heat from local industrial production processes to the new buildings, as well as Riothermie, which involves using heat from wastewater.

Modular building

We are planning to implement modular building techniques in our project pipeline. Modular construction offers numerous benefits, including reduced waste, higher potential for material reuse, and the use of eco-friendly materials.

Cases

First circular concrete – Komet

First heat network - Minerve

CLT construction - Tannat

First circular concrete – Komet

In December 2021, our Mechelen based project Komet was the first building
project in Belgium to use recycled concrete. The construction of the second
phase of Komet required about 15.000 m2 of concrete, 5.000 m2 of that is recycled (green) concrete. This corresponds with a saving of some 1.500
tonnes of natural concrete aggregate, or, 50 large trucks driving from quarries
in Wallonia to the site, accounting for 7.500 km of heavy transport.

First heat network – Minerve

In 2020 Revive and its partners build a cooperative heat grid at the Minerve site in Edegem (Antwerp). This was not the first heat network in Antwerp, but the first heat network using industrial residual heat to heat nearby homes and buildings.

As a result, some 300 homes will be heated by the residual heat from the industrial processes of the neighbouring Agfa-Gevaert plant. The company had been focusing for years on energy efficiency – including absorption cooling and heat pumps – but there was still a great deal of potential to recover additional energy.

CLT construction – Tannat

We aim for Brussels based project Tannat to remain innovative even 10 years from now. Therefore, we focus on a future-oriented project that utilises cutting-edge materials, including solid wood construction or CLT (cross-laminated timber), self-supporting bricks, and hemp-lime insulation, with an eye on circular principles. The wood used in CLT panels is PEFC-certified. In fact, wood stores 1.800 tons of CO2 instead of emitting it by using traditional construction materials.