Queen Máxima Visits Brabant’s Pioneers in Biobased Construction

Photo credits: Martijn van Leeuwen

 

Yesterday, Queen Máxima visited two leading pioneers in biobased construction in Brabant. The working visit, organised by Building Balance, focused on scaling up the use of natural materials such as hemp, flax, straw, and miscanthus in the construction industry. These renewable bio-based resources offer a solution to the nitrogen and CO2 challenges. By combining fiber cultivation with livestock farming or replacing intensive crops, nitrogen emissions are directly reduced. Using wood and biobased insulation materials in construction results in significant CO2 savings and supports circular goals, creating space within permitting processes and accelerating housing development.

Building Balance, a key partner in the Interreg NWE project Circular Reno, plays an important role in promoting the circular economy in the construction industry and advancing sustainable practices in building renovation.

From Straw to Roof

The visit began with a renovation project by housing corporation Area in Uden, carried out by Caspar de Haan. During the site tour, biobased insulation material—loose straw, a natural byproduct from agriculture—was blown into the roof live. The demonstration was provided by Takkenkamp Vastgoed Verduurzamers.

From Factory to Future

Next, Queen Máxima visited Barli’s housing factory, where more than a thousand modular wooden homes are produced annually. An increasing number of these homes now feature biobased materials, including natural insulation made from wood fibers. Straw is also emerging as a promising insulation material for prefab housing. During the tour, discussions were held on the contribution of factory-built housing to sustainable, large-scale construction.

The visit concluded with a roundtable discussion where farmers, builders, housing corporations, and policymakers spoke about the scaling up of biobased supply chains. Queen Máxima actively participated, listening to the experiences of the involved parties.

“I felt a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and heard a lot of ambition today. There are still a few hurdles to overcome, but we are eager to take up that challenge,” said Jan Willem van de Groep from Building Balance.

Both housing corporation Area and builder Barli are actively involved in developing regional supply chains for biobased construction.

Barli’s Commitment to Biobased Insulation

At the closing reception, Building Balance and Barli signed a commitment to rapidly scale the use of biobased insulation materials in Barli homes. Barli aims to incorporate 5% biobased insulation in their homes by 2025, with a target of reaching 100% by 2029.

Barli is committed to using locally grown biobased materials and has agreed to price developments that will keep costs for biobased materials no more than 8% higher than traditional materials in 2025, with a goal of matching traditional insulation costs by 2029. Additionally, Barli, in collaboration with Building Balance, is exploring opportunities for investments in local processing industries in 2025.