The campus of the Dr. Guislain Psychiatric Center in Ghent is a historic healthcare site comprising a mix of older and newer buildings, each with a different function, construction period, and energy performance. The site had low energy efficiency and high CO2 emissions from heating. Commissioned by the City of Ghent and the Guislain Care Group, a long-term vision was developed to heat the campus without fossil fuels, improve indoor comfort, and increase the production of renewable energy. The study took into account the heritage value of the buildings, the technical feasibility of structural interventions, and future energy performance requirements.

Ingenium developed an energy master plan for the entire campus. This involved analyzing current energy performance and exploring options for building envelope improvements, such as roof insulation, facade insulation, upgrades to windows and doors, and optimization of airtightness. In addition, Ingenium examined various scenarios for making the heating system more sustainable, focusing on technical feasibility, phasing, regulations, CO2 reduction, and avoiding lock-in effects.

The end result is a phased, long-term vision to prepare the buildings for the next 50 years, with a key interim step toward 2035. The proposed plan combines renovation and lowering the heating curve, decoupling domestic hot water via booster heat pumps, replacing CHP units with sewer heat recovery, and the continued phase-out of gas boilers in favor of air-to-water heat pumps. The potential for additional PV installations was also assessed, ensuring that the site can easily meet legal requirements.

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