ESG & the future of real estate

Theoretical insights combined with inspiring case studies illustrate how CSRD & EU taxonomy directives will further influence and reshape the world of real estate in the coming decades.  

It is no secret that The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), a groundbreaking EU sustainability directive, will have a significant impact on the Belgian real estate sector. From the beginning of this year, real estate companies are required to report key ESG matters both within and outside their organization. To comply with CSRD they must conduct a materials analysis, define ESG goals and optimize their management systems and internal controls. 

Additionally, the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) specifically targets sustainability in the financial sector. Both initiatives promote transparency and sustainability. For real estate organizations, this means not only reporting on finances but also on their environmental and social impact. 

We can already see various projects meeting those demands but a lot more will have to be done to turn the real estate landscape in Belgium into a zero-carbon and nature-friendly one. This course will give you more insight into how these directives work, how they are applied and how they are transforming the built environment in Belgium.

During this training course, theoretical insights combined with inspiring case studies will illustrate how CSRD & EU taxonomy directives will further influence and reshape the world of real estate in the coming decades.  

These case studies will fuel lively discussions between participants and lecturers. Exchange of knowledge and information, learning from your peers and building bridges between ideas, strategies, organizations and people are the key ingredients of this course. 

The course will be given in English. Q&A can be held either in Dutch, French or English, depending on the speaker.  

Session 1: Brussels in transition: guided tour of sustainable and circular projects 

Thursday, 2 October 2025 - Urban Insight Lab, Brussels 

• Introduction & networking lunch
• How sustainable/circular is Brussels already? Guided tour with stops and explanations at several sustainable projects in the city centre of Brussels: Pentagon, North district, site Tour & Taxis 
  • Milena Bruyninckx, PhD, senior expert and engineer at VK engineers+architects, part of Sweco
  • Michael Moradiellos del Molinos, head of circularity and sustainability at Drees & Sommer

Session 2: There is no planet B. How can we regenerate our environment and create a more positive impact? Which EU rules and legislation will function as drivers, and how are they applied in Belgium? 

 Thursday, 16 October 2025 - Drees & Sommer, Brussels

• There is no planet B. Climate measures alone will not help us to face the collapse of our ecosystem. We need to be aware of this and do more.
  • Leo Van Broeck, prof. engineer architect 
• EU legislation: short survey and update of the most relevant laws and regulations. How does the European Green Deal impact real estate in Belgium, and are the Belgian real estate companies setting the right priorities? 
  • Linus Grob, senior sustainability consultant Drees & Sommer  & dr. Rana Mahmoud, founder ECO narrate
• Application of ESG regulations on real estate in Belgium? 
  • Jan Van Schaeren, ESG manager Revive 
  • Nathan Rousseau, ESG manager AG Real Estate

Session 3: CSRD & EU Taxonomy as drivers of future-proof projects in Belgium. Deep dive into these directives and their impact on real estate investments and project development 

Thursday, 6 November 2025 - Archipelago, Brussels

• Definition - prevent greenwashing - criteria for environmental performance of buildings - how to align investments with EU Taxonomy (more transparency and comparability of financial products and services) 
  • Walter Jacob, senior counsel at KPMG
• Case studies: How to optimise and decarbonise a real estate portfolio on an international scale (industry, logistics, offices, leisure) 
  • Rebecca Lamas, technical lead Continental Europe data centers & logistics and Matthias Bolza, Carbon & Energy consultant at Goodman
• How does CSRD affect project development in Belgium? 
  • Joost Declercq, civil engineer, architect at Archipelago Architects, director of research and innovation, BREEAM + WELL AP expert
• Case studies: Multi & Oxy 
  • Valérie Vermandel, chief development officer, Whitewood 

Session 4: From building to city: strategies for carbon neutral environments  

Thursday, 20 November 2025 - CityDev, Brussels 

• Life cycle assessment of buildings, circular usage of materials, embodied and operational impacts
  • Prof. dr. ir. arch. Karen Allacker, head of Design and Engineering of Construction and Architecture
• Towards carbon-neutral cities: How to make them more resilient, inclusive and circular on an urban scale 
  • Nathalie Renneboog, general director of Rénovation Urbaine at CityDev & Olivier Mylle, architect and project developer at CityDev.brussels 
• Building scale: Embedded and operational carbon, from sustainable to regenerative design 
  • Sebastien Moreno Vacca, architect at A2M 
• Energy-positive buildings and ecosystem services between buildings 
  • Martijn Vyncke, expert bio-ecological construction at Bureau Bouwtechniek 

Session 5: Designing and building with positive impact: certification systems as catalysts for sustainability  

Thursday, 4 December 2025 - Maison de la Poste, Brussels

• Green building criteria in the context of corporate financing in Belgium  
  • Gilles Vanvolsem, managing director Belgian Green Building Council
•  How to realise your project sustainability ambitions with the newest version of GRO (sustainability measurement system) 
  • Joost Declercq, civil engineer, architect at Archipelago Architects, director of research and innovation, BREEAM + WELL AP expert
• Case study: project NOR05. Located close to the Brussels North Station, this building will be BREEAM Outstanding, WELL platinum and an example of circular economy.  
  • Sunita Van Heers, managing director and founder at SuReal and Nicolas Billen, independent developer 

Dates and locations

Tuesday 2 October, 16 October, 6 and 20 November and 4 December 2025, from 12.30 pm until 5.30 pm.

• Session 1: Urban Insight Lab, Arenbergstraat 13, Brussels 
• Session 2: Drees & Sommer, Goedheidstraat 5,  Brussels 
• Session 3: Achipelago, Tervuren Square, Avenue de Tervuren 253, Brussels
• Session 4: CityDev, Kruidtuinlaan 20, Brussels 
• Session 5: Maison de la Poste, Picardstraat 7, Brussels

Registration

Register before the 25th of September 2025.The participation fee for the entire course is 2200 euros. 

Early bird fee: -8% if you register before the 5th of July.

Alumni/students of the Postgraduate Degree in Real Estate and alumni from the Postgraduate Degree in Environmentally friendly building and living pay 1850 euros.