With advice from architecture firm Superuse, SKAR is helping its tenants along the way.
An interview with Olof van de Wal.
Plan for the future
The central government wants to reduce CO2 emissions by switching to renewable energy nationwide. Therefore, from 2050 we can in principle no longer burn gas. With current gas prices, sustainability is already necessary now, even for SKAR's 30-plus buildings. "The intention is to make our premises future-proof, without having to increase the rent costs in the process," says SKAR director Olof van de Wal. "That is a complicated operation. In a building with different spaces and users, you can hardly control what you spend on energy costs. It's also difficult to keep large premises with very few people in it warm. So we have a plan of action."
Why is sustainability needed?
"Let me say up front: we want to keep all our workplaces available and affordable. That is our main starting point. But there are challenges that require attention and a smart approach. Like the rising energy costs that have to be paid from somewhere. CBS shows that the income of artists and creatives has grown fairly stably with inflation. So if you allow rent to rise at the same level, the balance remains the same. However, the price of energy grew three times as fast over the past 20 years, with explosive growth in recent years. That makes the energy bill for artists virtually unaffordable, but the supplier just sends the bill. We have to come up with something on that."
So how do you keep the burdens as equal as possible?
"That is very difficult. After all, we are not in charge of energy prices. What we can do is try to use the money that now disappears down the chimney because you're burning it to use less gas. Not the question of "how do we make the world greener?" but, more importantly, "can artists still provide affordable workplaces in the future?" is important here. With sustainability, greening is a by-product: the tenant's wallet is most important. Spending less will not work. Spending differently is then the best option. That is why there is a plan to borrow the money that would be spent on gas over the next 30 years from the bank and use it to get rid of gas. Instead of coughing up an ever-increasing energy bill, the user will soon pay a fixed amount: the so-called energy savings fee. The energy bill is thus exchanged for an investment in the premises."
What does that look like?
"We will have to be smart and creative, because the budget to invest is limited. Whoever seeks advice on sustainability now pays the main price, we have noticed. You then get a whole range of standard interventions like heat pumps and triple glazing that, if you were to implement all that, would make the rent unaffordable. And: you often don't have to. Because with all those standard interventions, no consideration is given to what is really necessary, what suits the tenants and the building. That's why we first look per building at what is needed for the tenants, and not necessarily what advisors want to happen to the building. We also look at what the tenants themselves can do. For this we have engaged architectural firm Superuse. They don't start with expensive interventions, but mainly look at the existing possibilities of a building. Such as: how the sun is shining on the building, how many people use a building and at what hours and do people sit still or do they walk around. That all has an impact. We keep it technologically as low as possible. Because new technology promises gold, and it costs. Superuse also assumes the user, and advises us accordingly."
So what can the tenant himself do?
"Superuse makes a plan for each building to maintain a base temperature for the entire building. Your own studio space can be brought up to a higher temperature by you, the tenant, if the you want. For that, Superuse has all kinds of ideas and advice. Such as smartly arranging the studio by dividing it into compartments, placing an electric radiation panel or strategically hanging up curtains. But also: where to sit in the studio, and when. All are more affordable and smart investments that give the tenant more control over energy consumption. As mentioned, the most important thing is the artists' wallets. But to keep it all affordable, we will have to do it together."
What happens over time?
"The plans for sustainability will be shaped over the next three years. In the meantime we have started two pilots with Superuse: the building in the Ruilstraat and Drievriendenstraat. There we are talking to the tenants and advising them on what they can already do themselves, of course with SKAR's help. Certain investments can be reimbursed by us. Incidentally, tenant engagement is not new. In corona times, we had the sustainability project "Chores for Rent," in which major maintenance was done by our tenants themselves under supervision. That project was positively received from both sides at the time. So it can be done."