News

To be carbon-neutral by 2050, the Green Deal wants Europe to emit a net 55 percent less CO2 than in 1990 by 2030. Building heating plays an important role in this. A heat zoning map per municipality or area - now "inspiration map" - is a first step in preparing for the transition. For concrete policy, however, a heat policy plan is needed. What are the focal points in this? What role does psychology play in this story? And what is the link with mobility?

COP 26 in Glasgow will hopefully bring the attention of world leaders back to the gigantic challenge posed by climate transition. As a European organization, with top engineering companies in each country, the FIRST Q network definitely wants to do its part in making the building stock more sustainable, responsible for 40% of global CO2 emissions.

With the partnership DEVI, 4 experienced West Flemish players in the construction sector are joining forces to be stronger in large industrial (refurbishment) construction projects of Belgian and foreign clients. "Our clients are technical people. So are we. So there is quick mutual understanding," Frederik Moortgat (Establis) and Bart Verplancke (Industrium) tell us.

The building with its imposing former dactylo hall is now a place where art academies can flourish. Together with WIT architects, we succeeded in integrating modern techniques in a subtle, invisible way, thus preserving the authenticity of the monument.

In all buildings where multiple people congregate - such as offices, schools, meeting and event spaces - healthy air quality is even higher on the agenda due to the corona pandemic. Are CO2 meters and air purifiers the solution to acute problems? And what about the long term?

TTAS theater construction has been part of the Ingenium Group for over two years now. High time to highlight an exciting project: the renewal of the flywall at the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels. Most theaters make every effort to make their theatrical installations as invisible as possible to the public. That is why they are most often done in black. Ancienne Belgique, however, likes to put them - literally! - in paint. RAL3003 (ruby red) and RAL3017 (pale red) to be exact.

Ingenium is collaborating with VITO and Jorn Verbeeck (as expert team) and with the various departments involved of the City of Bruges in drawing up a 2030 climate plan for Bruges.

Ingenium is helping the city government of Mechelen develop a heat strategy. With this, the city wants to be one of the forerunners in Flanders to initiate the heat transition. With a clear vision and a concrete action plan, the Mechelen building patrimony must be heated and cooled fossil-free by 2050. Therefore, Ingenium is making a series of heat-related maps for the entire territory of the city. These include the current and future heat demand, the existing heat supply in the city and an estimate of the renovation potential. Using these policy maps as a basis, we draw up heat zoning plans: a road map in which we propose concrete solutions to make each specific subarea of the city fossil-free in steps. For example, we examine where the application of a heat network could be interesting and where not.

Cybersecurity has been high on the agenda in recent years, especially among companies and organizations. At the IT level, the leaks have usually already been plugged, but when it comes to OT infrastructure, the risks are still too often underestimated. However, the continuity of business processes and the protection of personal information are crucial. A cybersecurity audit can reveal the areas for improvement. Over the last 10 years, in the field of cybersecurity in buildings, much attention has been paid to the pure IT infrastructure such as computers and printers. However, OT - operational technology - is still too often treated as a stepmother. However, the use of cameras, access control, fire detection and building management systems for cooling and heating that are connected to the network, among others, has increased dramatically. This makes OT infrastructure vulnerable to misuse. A lot of building managers or users are unaware of the potential risks of poor OT protection. For example, access control software contains personal data subject to the GDPR. A poorly secured camera system allows hackers to look around your building. It not only violates the privacy of those who walk around in it, but can also lead to physical break-ins and theft. Hacking the cooling or heating systems can cause a production facility to shut down. And these are just a few examples. Action is taken not only at the technical level but also at the organizational level. This is done according to the principle of Organizational Physical Electronic Notification Measures (OFEM). That OFEM principle can be applied in both the physical and virtual world.

For the Hoost residential project in Knokke-Heist, Ingenium is responsible for the design of the techniques. The building will be fossil-free, all heating and cooling will be produced via a BTES and heat pumps. The project, based on a global concept by French architect Jakob MacFarlane, is being realized together with B2Ai architects and CAAAP -Artes Group. It will be an unprecedented colorful architectural construction in Belgium, apartments with terraces are mixed with houses with gardens in height. On the lower floors, public parts (municipal administration, police, ...) find their place. © CAAAP

Our director innovation & sustainability Pedro Pattijn attended the IBPSA congress BS2021 in Bruges. There he gave a presentation on 'Heat mapping & district heating simulation tool'.

In the building of the future, smart handling of energy becomes of prime importance. Not only for economic and ecological reasons, but also for practical considerations. After all, the breakthrough of electric cars and smart grids brings with it enormous challenges. Especially in a world where calls for comfort and efficiency are becoming louder and louder. Yet building managers and facility managers do not face an impossible task. With the intelligence that may be inherent in larger buildings by then, they have an important tool at their disposal to fight this battle.

The intuitive BIMvisible app that Ingenium developed together with Savaco and In The Pocket puts BIM models 'on' the real situation via Augmented Reality in actual size.

The Hortus Conclusus consortium won the contract for the design, construction, financing and maintenance of the new prison in Antwerp. Ingenium is responsible for the design together with Hootmans architecture bureau, ARCH & TECO and Bureau Bas Smets.

When we are too hot, we do not feel comfortable. We start to sweat, get thirsty and stressed, and we feel our energy drain. This causes us to be a lot less productive. This is precisely why reducing overheating is a must in a new construction, as well as in major renovations.

In order to centralize its biobanks, UZ Leuven - KU Leuven is building a new facility. In research building O&N4 (KU Leuven) on the Gasthuisberg campus, an area of 2,500 m² is being provided for this purpose. The construction of a central biobank including cryotheque requires not only professional equipment but also a high-performance technical installation.

The popularity of electric vehicles has soared in the past year. The charging infrastructure urgently needs to keep up with this evolution. Therefore, the Flemish government imposes minimum standards for new construction projects and major renovations. Existing buildings must also have charging points by 2025. What do you need to consider when installing them now, and to be ready for stricter standards in the future?

To generate heat in a sustainable way, Aquafin will soon be using sewage water as a source. It is the most striking element in the conversion of the labs and workshop of the sewage treatment plant (RWZI) in Aalst into a zero energy building.

In March 2021, Koen Van Canneyt - our Expert Cleanrooms & Laboratories - was one of the key players at the Egnaton Forum on laboratories. He explained the Virtual Lab Tour in the newly built labs O&N1bis and O&N5 of the KU Leuven and participated in an international panel on energy reduction in lab buildings.

The intuitive BIMvisible app that Ingenium developed together with Savaco and In The Pocket puts full-size BIM models 'on' the real situation. By pointing your smartphone at a false ceiling, for example, you can 'see' which technical components are in that spot (without having to open up the ceiling). The information linked to each component - real-time info from sensors, the installer's contact information, etc. - is centralized in the app and can be easily consulted. The test case at Vandemoortele's Food Experience Center in Ghent was already a success. BIMvisible is now ready to solve comfort and technical problems quickly and efficiently in other buildings as well. The digital vault in turn makes the management of as-built files much easier. Plans, BIM models, technical sheets, contracts, inspections and other relevant information about the property are stored and organized on a central web platform. The advantage? Important information doesn't get lost (anymore) and can be consulted quickly and efficiently over and over again. The digital vault also makes the step to a BIM organization more obvious. For example, no additional licenses or training for BIM software are required. Via the online platform, the building manager can always consult the necessary information. Interested? Give us a call! Call us on 050 40 45 30 or at info@ingenium.be and ask for our expert Niels Vercaemst!

The recent harsh winter period was a good stress test for heating systems and especially for heat pumps. From some customers with a geothermal heat pump we received questions about the (seemingly) low temperature in the BTES. For example, on Friday, Feb. 12, 2 customers signaled regimes of 4 degrees Celsius at the inlet of the heat pump and 0.5 and 0 degrees return temperature, respectively. For another customer, the BTES indicated a regime of 4.2°C/0.7°C on Saturday, Feb. 13 - after a week with only frost days.

ELISE makes the job of patrimony managers a lot easier from now on. The digital management tool was developed jointly by Ingenium, Freestone and the Flemish government with VLISOG as the driving force. It brings together all documents, possible and necessary actions, the urgency of those actions and the associated costs in one visually attractive dashboard. It makes efficient reporting and thoughtful decision-making much easier.

That humans exhale CO2 is a simple law of nature. However, independent studies show that excessive concentrations of CO2 in indoor spaces negatively affect employee productivity and can increase absenteeism. For those renting or leasing offices, however, temporary or continuous air quality monitoring can provide rapid problem detection and permanent quality work comfort.

As part of the "Redesign of Health Care Administrations" process, one of the objectives is to create better cooperation between administrations. In order to improve cooperation, the Federal Public Service for Public Health, Safety of the Food Chain and the Environment (FPS), the National Institute for Sickness and Disability Insurance (NIHDI) and the Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (FAMHP), in short the Health Administrations, are moving together to one new location, the Galilée Building in Etterbeek.