Local authorities urged to adopt flexible building management beyond temporary cooling

Multifunctional spaces and shared usage offer a sustainable alternative to single-purpose buildings in Flemish municipalities.

Modern office building with sustainable architectural design in a Flemish urban environment.
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Modern office building with sustainable architectural design in a Flemish urban environment.

The Flemish Energy Company (Vlaams Energiebedrijf) advises local authorities to focus on multifunctional buildings rather than temporary solutions like air conditioning to address climate challenges.

Buildings should be designed with changing needs in mind. Current trends indicate that single-purpose structures are less efficient in a rapidly evolving society. By focusing on flexibility, spaces can combine different functions, leading to reduced costs and higher social value.
A concrete example of this transition is the Keerdok in Mechelen. This site is currently used as a parking facility, but it has been designed to allow for a future transformation into office space. Such projects demonstrate how infrastructure can be better utilized by accounting for future requirements.
Based on information from the official source: veb — Vlaams Energiebedrijf (16/09/2026)