Zuiderpoort - Future-Proofing a 62,000 m² Office Asset Through Smart Electrification
Zuiderpoort demonstrates how the renewal of end-of-life building systems can become a strategic opportunity to future-proof a large office asset, rather than a like-for-like maintenance exercise.
Located in Ghent, the 62,000 m² office complex is replacing its gas boilers and chillers with a fully electric, heat-pump-based heating and cooling system, alongside new air handling units, a new building management system and onsite solar PV.
Carried out while the building remains fully occupied, the project combines energy efficiency, smart electrification, renewable energy and occupant well-being to eliminate gas use, roughly halve energy intensity and extend the building’s competitive life by a decade.
Project Overview
Project: Zuiderpoort
Location: Ghent, Belgium
Building Type: Office building (62,000 m²)
Status: Operational; HVAC renovation underway (2026–2027)
BGBC Members Involved: SuReal
Project Milestones
- Fossil Fuels: Gas consumption targeted at 0 MWh/year after the HVAC renovation, down from 5,287 MWh/year today
- Energy Intensity: From ~136 to ~68 kWh/m²/year, an expected reduction of around 50%
- Asset Resilience: CRREM stranding year pushed back from ~2032 to 2042
- On-Site Renewables: [TBC] kWp rooftop solar PV, generating since March 2025
- Certifications: BREEAM Excellent and WELL Core Platinum (2024), the first WELL Core Platinum building in Flanders
The Challenge
Zuiderpoort had decades of useful life ahead of it, but its technical installations were reaching the end of their operational life. Like many large office buildings in Belgium, it faced a familiar set of challenges:
- Dependence on gas boilers and conventional chillers for heating and cooling.
- Exposure to rising and volatile energy costs.
- Ageing air handling units, several without heat recovery.
- A configuration where a single unit serves an entire wing, so one failure can disrupt comfort across multiple floors.
- The need to carry out major works while the offices remain occupied.
- Significant capital expenditure requiring careful cash-flow planning.
- The risk of locking the asset into an outdated energy system for another 20 years.
Rather than replacing like-for-like, asset manager Wanaka Partners and ESG consultant SuReal developed a structured improvement catalogue. It covered measures ranging from energy monitoring and AHU renewal to PV, EV charging, heat pumps and BMS upgrades. Each measure was assessed against energy and carbon savings, CAPEX and OPEX, technical complexity, tenant impact, timing and BREEAM relevance. This way, the investment strategy rested on both technical feasibility and a sound business case.
The Smart Electrification Approach
Zuiderport follows the Smart Electrification Framework that is rooted in European energy policy and structured around four pillars: Efficiency First, Smart Electrification, Renewable Energy and Grid Readiness.
1. Efficiency First
The Concept: Reducing energy demand alongside the system renewal, so that the new heat pumps serve a more efficient building.
Technical Execution: All air handling units are being replaced with new units featuring heat recovery and energy-efficient low-temperature heating. Smart LED lighting has been installed across approximately 1,500 parking spaces, and rooftop insulation is planned.
The Data: A water leak detection system has already cut water consumption by approximately 40%.
- Policy & Future Value: A fully replaced building management system will be fine-tuned and monitored through all four seasons after commissioning, to optimise performance under every operating condition.
2. Smart Electrification
The Concept: Replacing gas-fired heating and conventional cooling with efficient, electric heat-pump technology.
- Technical Execution: The gas boilers and chillers are being replaced by four air-to-water heat pumps in cascade for heating and cooling, plus two water-to-water heat pumps in cascade that supply high-temperature heat to the existing reheating coils on the office floors. AHU heating coils are being modified for heat-pump supply.
- The Engineering Advantage: The cascade configuration builds in redundancy. Unlike the old setup, where one unit could serve an entire wing, a single equipment failure no longer puts comfort across multiple floors at risk.
- The Data: Gas consumption is set to fall from 5,287 MWh/year to zero. Electricity use rises from 5,038 to 6,506 MWh/year as heating and cooling are electrified, while overall energy intensity is expected to halve.
3. Renewable Energy
The Concept: Powering the electrified building with renewable electricity, both on site and through the wider community.
Technical Execution: A [TBC] kWp rooftop solar PV system was installed in 2024 and has been generating electricity since March 2025.
- Policy & Future Value: As a fully electric building, Zuiderpoort’s operational carbon footprint will keep falling as the Belgian power grid continues to decarbonise.
4. Grid Readiness and Resilience
- The Concept: Connecting the building to a wider local renewable energy system.
- Technical Execution: The Zuiderpoort Fund has joined Energilia Flanders, a 100% green energy community in Ghent, combining onsite generation with participation in shared local renewable supply. Its impact is expected to become measurable from Q1 2027.
- Modal Shift: 68 EV charging points and 600 additional bicycle parking spaces support lower-carbon commuting.
Beyond Electrification: Occupant Well-being and Minimal Disruption
Zuiderpoort shows that building electrification can go hand in hand with a better experience for the people who use the building.
Renovating while the building stays open:
- The HVAC works are expected to take 14–18 months, with the offices fully occupied throughout.
- The switch to the new heating and cooling production is timed for the right season.
- The roof’s structure has been reinforced so new AHUs can be placed directly above the existing ones. They are installed and commissioned before the old units are switched off.
- This limits downtime to roughly one week per unit.
Health, well-being and community:
- The first building in Flanders to achieve WELL Core Platinum certification.
- New sports and wellness facilities, communal spaces and freshly prepared food.
- An on-site community team, a 24-hour information desk and year-round social activities.
- Annual user satisfaction surveys with a strong satisfaction track record.
Results and Impact
Figures for the HVAC renovation are projections, to be confirmed after completion and commissioning.
Halving Energy Intensity
Following the HVAC renovation, energy intensity is expected to fall from:
~136 kWh/m²/year
to approximately:
~68 kWh/m²/year, an estimated 50% reduction per square metre.
100% Gas-Free Operation
Gas consumption is set to fall from 5,287 MWh/year to zero. The modest rise in electricity use reflects the electrification of heating and cooling. Onsite solar and a 100% green energy community will increasingly meet that demand.
A Decade of Added Asset Resilience
According to the current CRREM assessment, the renovation is expected to move the building’s market-based carbon stranding year from:
~2032 to 2042
reducing the risk of future regulatory and market obsolescence.
Renewable Energy Generation
The rooftop solar PV installation, generating since March 2025, reduces reliance on grid electricity. Participation in Energilia Flanders is expected to deliver measurable impact from Q1 2027.
Figures for the HVAC renovation are projections, to be confirmed after completion and commissioning.
Leading Sustainability Certifications
In 2024 the building achieved:
- BREEAM Excellent
- WELL Core Platinum, a first in Flanders
Resource Efficiency and Mobility
- ~40% reduction in water consumption through leak detection
- 68 EV charging points
- 600 additional bicycle parking spaces
- Smart LED lighting across ~1,500 parking spaces
Long-term attractiveness and value for investors.
At Zuiderpoort, smart electrification is as much an asset management strategy as an environmental investment. The investment case weighed CAPEX, OPEX, energy and carbon savings, tenant impact, certification value and future regulatory requirements. The result is an asset that avoids fossil lock-in and offers greater comfort resilience. It also meets the expectations of large occupiers who increasingly seek high-quality, certified office environments, which strengthens its market attractiveness and long-term value.
Key Lessons for the Sector
1. Treat End-of-Life Equipment as a Strategic Moment:
Replacing ageing installations is unavoidable, but what is chosen at that moment fixes a building’s energy performance, operating costs and carbon footprint for the next twenty years. Approach it as an asset strategy decision, not a maintenance exercise.
2. Build a Structured Investment Catalogue:
Scoring each measure against energy and carbon savings, CAPEX/OPEX, technical complexity, tenant impact, timing and certification relevance turns technical opportunities into a clear, bankable plan. Close collaboration between Wanaka Partners and SuReal was key to making this work, combining technical expertise, energy analysis and financial considerations.
3. Design the Works Around the Occupants:
Retrofitting an occupied building is technically complex. Installing new AHUs above the existing ones before switching the old units off, and timing the plant changeover by season, keeps downtime to about a week per unit.
4. Plan for Redundancy and Cash Flow Early:
A cascade heat-pump configuration protects comfort if one unit fails. Early financing and cash-flow planning keep a large-scale retrofit on track.
Why This Matters
Every building reaches a moment when its equipment wears out. Zuiderpoort shows that this moment can be its most important. Gas boilers and chillers make way for heat pumps. Every air handling unit is renewed. Onsite solar, a green energy community and a strong focus on well-being complete the picture. The result is a building that is more efficient, more resilient, more attractive to occupants and investors, and better prepared for a net-zero future. And because the works take place in a fully occupied 62,000 m² office, the approach offers a replicable blueprint for Belgium’s large existing office stock.
“Treat the replacement of end-of-life equipment as a strategic opportunity, not simply a maintenance exercise.”
SuReal is a consultancy firm that supports companies and government agencies in making buildings, city projects and companies more sustainable while keeping in mind the well-being of its occupants. Our experts provide sustainability, circularity and overall ESG advice and support from concept to delivery. Joining the Belgian Green Building Council allows us to drive change and co-create a future-proofed society.