Innovative hybrid concept and diverse offer

After four years of construction works the new complex has a wide range of commercial offerings which are meeting the needs of Waterloo inhabitants. The site includes 3 pavilions (stand alone units) that have been constructed using mass timber for the structural elements, which reduces the embodied carbon of the whole scheme. Furthermore, the principle of design for disassembly has been applied for all additions and amendments to the site, contributing to the opportunity for future re-use of building components.

Filip de Bois, Portfolio Director of Redevco Belgium, explains: “RICH’L is strategically located at the entrance to Waterloo, making it an iconic site for Redevco. RICH’L has been designed to provide a complementary offer to what is already available in the centre of Waterloo and adapted to the changing needs of today’s consumer.”

Contributing to our Mission 2040

To achieve this, we applied the principle of “Trias Energetica”, which means that the least amount of energy possible is consumed at each stage of the building project. First of all, by insulating the buildings as much as possible and also creating 8,265 m2 of green roofs which facilitates the buffering of rainwater. All this to reduce energy needs by the building’s occupants. Secondly, through a “green lease” contract system, our tenants of the commercial units commit to using heating and air conditioning as efficiently as possible. Lastly, a maximum amount of energy is produced on-site by 2,300 solar panels. These installations are expected to produce more than 790,000 kWh per year, equivalent to the consumption of approximately 225 Belgian households annually. In this project we also focused on greener mobility, with the availability of 16 electric charging stations, in collaboration with Shell Recharge, as well as 36 bicycle spaces and 6 charging stations for electric bicycles. All these measures make this a great example project in the spirit of our Mission 2040 goal, making our entire portfolio net zero carbon by 2040. We will need to wait until the new complex has been in operation for at least a full year to be able to evaluate to what extent it meets the energy intensity and carbon emission reduction targets that our ambition requires.