Case Study: Sint Antoniusplein

Short Description

The project is a contribution to the upgrading of the town centre of Zoerle-Parwijs.
Heavy traffic, delapidated and unoccupied houses made the centre no longer comfortable to live in. When the municipality of Westerlo decided to get the traffic out of the centre and renew the area, Zonnige Kempen had a unique opportunity to develop a sustainable social housing project, integrating public space.

Some old delapidated buildings were replaced by diverse types of dwellings grouped in three blocks around a small square.

The target of the project was to implement a – for social housing – extreme energy concept:
- Reduce the need for heating (compact volumes, isolation)
- Use of renewable energy from the sun (directly and indirectly)
- Optimal conversion of energy (high performance)
- Measuring, monitoring, evaluating, adjusting,…
- Guidance for tenants
- Communication about the results.

Adopted techniques :
- Solar boilers
- Photovoltaics
- Balanced ventilation with heat recovery
- Heatpumps
- Blacktop collector

Synergy had to be found between the different techniques.

Key Elements

Certification

There was a close collaboration between Zonnige Kempen and VITO (the Flemish Institute for Technology Research). VITO is the only organisaton with the knowhow to evaluate and advise this experimental project

Capacity Building

Zonnige Kempen will demonstrate to authorities, social housing companies, that social housing can be more sustainable. Seminars, visits to the project and information maps are available.

Funding

The demonstration project received financial support from the Flemish Government, energy grid managers and local authorities.

Thermal Insulation

Ventilation

Airtightness and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery

Greenhouse-principle : preheating of ventilation air and night cooling ventilation

Different photovoltaic systems are put in place and compared. The electricity is used to drive the fans and the heatpumps. The PV-panels are cooled down by the intake of the ventilation.

Water Saving

Rain water is collected and used for toilets, washing machines, cleaning etc.

Windows and Shading

South facing living spaces ensure that maximum benefit is derived from the available sunshine.

Partnership Working

Waste management work was carried out in collaboration with the local authorities

Funding

The ground is used to store heat from the blacktop collector and part of the solar collectors. There is a synergy between these techniques.

Main Results

The project was, and still is,  a learning process, where more experimental techniques are put into practice and evaluated with the support of different technological institutes and universities.

The energy sources are sunlight, soil and natural gas. Most of the heat used till now is provided by the soil (and indirectly from the sun).

Monitoring is ongoing.

The annual energy cost is about €250 / family.

Lessons learned

It is very important to :
- evaluate the results of every action, technique, design decision to obtain optimal efficienty;
- help tenants to take maximum advantage of the building characteristics.