Antwerp Project Uses CLT for Low-Carbon Housing
An adaptive reuse project in Antwerp's Oudemansstraat by woonwerkarch is showcasing the use of cross-laminated timber (CLT) to create low-carbon housing. The project is being shared as an example of sustainable urban densification and circular construction principles.
- The Antwerp project, commissioned by AG VESPA, involved the adaptive reuse of a former nightclub and an adjacent building into 23 affordable homes, with a focus on creating a new residential community in the city's Schipperskwartier. The design by woonwerkarch utilized selective demolition to preserve existing walls and floors, adding a lightweight CLT structure for the rooftop extension. - This type of bio-based construction aligns with the Dutch government's ambition for the Netherlands to be 50% circular by 2030 and fully circular by 2050. The Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations is specifically responsible for circularity in housing and non-residential construction. - In September 2025, thirteen major Dutch institutional real estate managers and housing associations, including Amvest and Woonstad Rotterdam, committed to binding CO2 limits for materials in new housing, directly encouraging the use of renewable materials like timber. - The Netherlands is seeing larger CLT projects come online, such as BoogieWood in The Hague, which will be the country's largest modular CLT residential building with 702 homes, and the 73-meter-tall HAUT hybrid-timber tower in Amsterdam. - The European Union's Circular Economy Action Plan, a key part of the Green Deal, specifically identifies the construction sector as a priority for reducing waste and promoting material efficiency across a building's entire life cycle. The updated Construction Products Regulation will mandate declarations of life-cycle impacts, further incentivizing low-carbon materials like CLT. - To facilitate circularity, digital material passports are being implemented in the Netherlands to give building materials a persistent identity, tracking their origin, quality, and location to prevent them from becoming waste. The Madaster platform is a key example of this digital tool being used in Dutch housing projects. - The Dutch government is actively moving to decarbonize the built environment, which accounts for 15% of national CO2 emissions, with a goal to phase out natural gas in 1.5 million homes and tighten CO2 reduction targets to 60% by 2030. - Digital twins are being developed in the Netherlands, such as in the LOKET project for Den Bosch, to create virtual replicas of construction sites. These tools allow for the simulation and optimization of material flows and environmental impacts, supporting the complex logistics of circular construction projects.
