Circularity is a theme that is already well embedded at the Municipality of Groningen. Great progress has already been made in the areas of waste, purchasing, food and water. Now these experiences are being used in the theme of circular construction and spatial planning.
Fast, affordable, bio-based
With a vision for sustainability in place and awareness for connecting opportunities in the transition, Groningen is looking for levers and successes to realize change - meaning new, fast, affordable and bio-based construction where possible. If this not feasible, the focus is on demountable and reusable, while ensuring that renovation assignments are approached with from the perspective of circularity, re-use of raw materials, energy efficiency and the reduction of CO2 emissions.
Targets & stakeholders
Within the municipality there is a general target of at least 25,000 new houses to be built by 2032. Besides investigating potential regulatory requirements, the local authority works closely with developers, housing associations, educational institutes and a broad network of stakeholders with a view to speeding up the implementation of a circular approach in the building sector - first on a voluntary basis.
Sebastiaan van der Haar, Project Leader for Circular Building
Accelerating systematic change
Groningen is an experienced partner in EU projects both as partner and as Lead Partner. By participating in CTB, the Municipality wants to give an extra boost to their circular building and construction ambitions. Although a number of good examples have been developed, our Dutch partner hopes to learn more through transnational cooperation and further accelerate change across the whole system. The CTB project can help in this transition by realizing more best practices, knowledge building and jointly designing new methods for circular building.
Anne Helbig, Project Leader for Circular Economy