BGBC has launched its Climate Adaptive Buildings task force with the first workshop held on 9 January 2026 at VUB. This workshop marked the start of a collaborative process to develop a uniform, science-based and market-relevant framework for climate change adaptation in the Belgian building sector. 

 

Why climate adaptation? 
Climate change is already affecting Belgium through rising temperatures, more frequent heatwaves, intense rainfall, flooding and periods of drought. These impacts pose increasing risks to buildings, users and investors. While many tools and studies exist, the Belgian market currently lacks a shared and comparable methodology to assess climate risks at building level and to translate them into actionable design and management measures. 

 

The aim of the initiative 
The objective of the Climate Adaptive Buildings initiative is to create a Belgian assessment and scoring methodology for climate change adaptation that: 

  • is aligned with the EU Taxonomy and international standards such as ISO 14091, 

  • is applicable across regions, asset types and building life cycles, 

  • combines climate hazard data with building-specific vulnerability, 

  • supports better decision-making for owners, developers, designers and investors. 

The work builds on the existing DGBC Climate Adaptive Buildings framework, which is being translated and adapted to the Belgian context by Sweco Belgium. 

 

Key outcomes of Workshop 1 
During the first workshop, participants validated the overall approach and discussed key building blocks of the framework, including: 

  • the prioritisation of climate risks with the highest financial and operational impact, such as overheating, flooding, storm damage and drought-related risks; 

  • the need for granular, open-source climate data suitable for building-level assessment; 

  • the importance of a transparent and comparable scoring system that links risk assessment to mitigation measures; 

  • the choice of climate scenarios and time horizons, balancing scientific robustness with practical applicability; 

  • the value of an iterative assessment process, allowing building scores to improve as adaptation measures are implemented. 

There was strong consensus on the added value of a shared Belgian reference framework that can support EU Taxonomy compliance while remaining practical for real estate professionals. 

 

What’s next? 
The initiative now moves into its co-creation phase. Three additional workshops are planned to take place in February and March, focusing on: 

  • weighting of risks and KPIs, 

  • finalising workflows per climate risk, 

  • further development and testing of the assessment tool. 

 

BGBC members are warmly invited to stay engaged and contribute their expertise as the framework takes shape. 

Together, we are laying the groundwork for more climate-resilient buildings in Belgium.