Biobased bouwen: De toekomst van bouwen

26 november 2024
We kunnen er niet meer omheen, de klimaat crisis vraagt Nederland flink te gaan verduurzamen. We moeten innovatieve en duurzame oplossingen gaan vinden om snel en duurzaam te gaan bouwen en renoveren. Jan Engels, oprichter van MAGOXX®Board, is ruim 10 jaar betrokken bij het verduurzamen van de bouwsector middels de toepassing van magnesiumoxide plaatmateriaal. Wij waren benieuwd naar de visie van Jan op de toekomst van de bouw en hoe hij “Het Huis Van De Toekomst” voor zich ziet.

We can no longer ignore it—the climate crisis is urging the Netherlands to embrace sustainability on a larger scale. We must find innovative and sustainable solutions to build and renovate quickly and responsibly. Jan Engels, the founder of MAGOXX® Board, has been involved in making the construction sector more sustainable through the use of magnesium oxide board materials for over 10 years. We were curious to hear Jan’s vision for the future of construction and how he envisions “The House of the Future.”

You studied architecture at TU Delft and can call yourself an architect. Does this play a role in why you started MAGOXX® Board?

“In my time at TU Delft (unfortunately, already 40 years ago), sustainability wasn’t really a focus. We learned a lot about design and the standard materials like wood, steel, and aluminum, and how to calculate forces in structures. But applying sustainable building materials like clay, cellulose, or magnesium oxide hadn’t even appeared on the horizon. However, we did learn about the importance of insulation.

After my studies, I mainly worked in logistics, while also being involved in my own construction projects. While logistics is a challenging world, I missed the thrill of physically creating something in construction. So, after 30 years, I decided to return to the building industry. I will no longer be an architect, as the developments in construction have progressed too quickly for me, and I leave that to the younger generations.

I had to find another way to contribute to the construction world, and by chance, I ended up on the right path. It was actually a sort of accidental discovery. A fortunate moment in which I came to know this wonderful material, magnesium oxide. Since then, I’ve delved deeper into it, discovering more about its sustainable properties, as well as its pros and cons. I think it’s really exciting that I can contribute to the future of construction in this way.

For me, this is the perfect way to do what I enjoy. A practical idea that can make the world a little bit better. If I can open the first factory in Europe to produce magnesium oxide construction boards, then I’ll have truly achieved my goal.”

Besides producing MAGOXX® Boards, you are also involved with other sustainable materials and testing them in collaboration with other innovative companies. Could you tell us more about that?”

“We have been collaborating with other parties from the very beginning, and this is absolutely necessary for the bigger picture. We are trying to develop a kind of ecosystem in which every polluting building material can be replaced by a sustainable alternative. We need each other to make it logical for project developers and end-consumers to start using these products. For example, think of coconut felt as a sustainable insulation material and ceramic brick slips for façade cladding.”

“How Jan envisions the sustainable ‘House of the Future’.”

“For me, there isn’t just one house of the future, but several versions based on an overarching idea. In my view, the future house will be a very flexible home based on different modules, where we can easily adapt our living environment to the various life stages we go through as a person or family.
For example, there will be a greater need for larger homes at a younger age and smaller ones as we get older. How wonderful would it be if you could make those changes in the same neighborhood where you currently live? This concept of a dynamic home requires that the components are easy to take apart and easily reassemble. We need to address the demand for circular construction.”

This idea of flexible modular homes seems like a good solution for new construction projects. But what are we going to do with the existing (non-sustainable) homes?

“Our existing homes have a different task. We need to ensure that energy consumption can be reduced through renovation. I believe we have the techniques, but we also need to be more critical of the emotional value we attach to certain properties, which can no longer be renovated into a sustainable home in any way. This means that certain homes can no longer be improved and would be better off being demolished and rebuilt.

Fortunately, many homes can still be transformed into sustainable homes. Facade elements with the right insulation values can play a significant role in this. Additionally, I think we will see much more high-rise construction in the future, and I don’t just mean new apartment blocks. In the 20th century, many apartment buildings were constructed with only four floors. We could add an extra floor here!”

Can MAGOXX Board contribute to both new construction and renovation projects?

“Absolutely. For example, you can use MAGOXX Board to replace old façades, insulate between floors, for infrared heating, and fire-resistant roofs for storage units.

For adding extra floors to existing homes, MAGOXX Board offers a great solution. The sustainable board is lightweight yet incredibly strong.”

Do you also have a solution for encouraging sustainability for people who rent homes?

“For me, sustainability is also about taking good care of and being responsible for the home and environment in which you live. If you could increase the sense of responsibility, you would see that people would take better care of the home and living environment where they spend so much of their life. In my opinion, the key lies in taking measures to make residents/tenants feel less like customers and more like owners. I realize that this idea cannot easily be implemented in the current structures, but perhaps there are others who can build on this.”

So, the Netherlands will look very different if it were up to you? More like ’the city of the future’ actually.

“Absolutely. We shouldn’t want to build all over the Netherlands because by clearing up various industrial and office areas, there is also space for new construction and transformation. As humans, we don’t just need stones, but also greenery.”