A hot autumn

The summer was hot, the hottest in living memory. The autumn will be hot too, but in a different sense: in Dutch politics. These are turbulent times, with a large number of complex issues that finally need to be tackled properly. Think of climate, the environment, the economy, population, housing, infrastructure and much more. We speak of crisis and shortage: the climate crisis, the housing shortage, the financial crisis, an education system in distress…

Postponing can’t go on forever

Those we elected to govern the country have made a mess of it in recent years. Where there is great need or crisis, major measures must be taken. That is something they have not dared to do: it costs a lot of money, it is painful for large parts of the population, and personal or party interests outweigh the national interest. But pushing problems and solutions ahead of you cannot go on forever. Something really has to happen now, this autumn. We are curious.

The housing shortage is closest to us

Of all these problems, the housing shortage is the one closest to us. After all, our work is keeping homes and commercial buildings in good order and bringing them up to standard: renovation, improvement, insulation, painting and more.

People need good housing, but demand far exceeds supply. For many years, successive governments have aimed to add 100,000 new homes every year. More than 70,000 have never been achieved. The gap is growing, and so is the shortage.

Empty offices have run out

There are other ways to create new homes. Converting existing empty office buildings in particular can make a good contribution, and that has indeed happened. But housing ministers have greatly overestimated this contribution: the empty offices have run out. In 2019, 12,000 homes were created in former offices; in 2025, only 7,000 (source: EIB). Adding an extra storey to existing buildings and splitting homes also deliver far less than expected.

New construction must speed up

The conclusion: real new construction must be accelerated. That is no small task, as the obstacles are considerable. Take land use. As long as 52% of the Netherlands’ surface area is taken up by the agricultural sector, finding building locations will remain difficult. Finances also play a major role. Parties such as housing associations will be reluctant to invest when rental income is low and construction costs keep rising. We can only conclude that the government’s targets are currently not realistic.

Building for hotter summers

Furthermore, we believe that after this hot summer, which will become the norm in the future, design requirements for new buildings should be tightened. For example, windows placed under an overhang so direct sunlight no longer hits the glass, mandatory shutters or awnings, solar control glass, and so on. These extra investments will quickly pay for themselves, if only because expensive air conditioning will no longer be needed.