2023-08-11 09:47:00
Belgian architects are seeing a decrease in demand, both for the renovation and for the construction of houses and apartments. In the north of the country, the Network of Architects of Flanders (NAV) reports that almost half of architects report a drop in demand in the first six months of the year. An observation shared by the Walloon Union of Architects (UWA).
“This is a trend that we have observed since 2022. Last year, we saw a 25% reduction in the number of permits issued for apartments and 10% for houses”, underlines Gaëtan Doquire, director of the UWA. The professional union does not yet have figures for 2023.
On the Walloon side, the overall increase in costs relating to the real estate market is mentioned to explain this phenomenon. “The Walloon government must reflect on appropriate property taxation to reduce costs and facilitate access to housing”, believes Gaëtan Doquire.
He also mentions the new requirements in terms of energy efficiency which contribute to increasing the bill in the event of renovation or construction: “Given the current context, it would be preferable to apply these requirements sparingly, in a more progressive way”.
In Flanders, the network of NAV architects pleads for the implementation of more ambitious renovation obligations, an acceleration of permit procedures and more efforts to build social housing. A final observation shared by the UWA which recalls that in 2022, no less than 42,000 Walloon households were waiting for social housing.
Moreover, the construction sector sees this situation with a negative eye. In Flanders, the latest barometer from Bouwunie, the federation of SMEs and self-employed in the construction sector, shows that the confidence of companies in the sector increased slightly just before the building holidays, but that it remains low.
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