Brussels, the Belgian capital and the headquarters of the European Union and many of its institutions, is going through a modernization of its territories. Through the modernization and its commitment to adhering to the complete values and aspirations of the European Union in terms of supporting their environmental-friendly policies. Hence, when it comes to the construction of buildings, the quality of the windows is of vital importance in order to preserve energy. Through this individuals can contribute to preserving the environment and working towards a greener future.
For a company to successfully enter the Belgian’s capital city of Brussels some factors are important to consider.
In the last decade, Brussels has turned from the being at the end of the list of role models for preserving energy to a leading figure, through renovating many older building and constructing many new ones. As older buildings tend to have older windows which to not retain warmth and therefore lead to a loss of energy.
The city consists of nineteen districts where each boasts their individual unique construct of architecture and originates from different eras. When wanting to enter the market possible adaptions to the individual needs should be considered. Additionally, being at the heart of Europe and a role model for the rest of the modern world, a complete adherence to the local regulations is strictly enforced. Therefore, a complete understanding of the heritage perseverance laws and energy perseverance windows has to be followed. For instance a law in Brussels that requires when rebuilding or constructing to follow guidelines in terms of thermal isolations, which are known as the “Performance Enérgétique des bâtiments”.
As Brussels is home to many ancient UNESCO heritage sites and protected buildings, the reconstructions of these building are complex. Therefore, when considering rebuilding these ancient building, an utterly strict law must be adhered to at all times to ensure the conservation of the heritage of Brussels. This also applies to the window industry, where installing high quality windows bring a certain risk of not fulfilling the complete requirements of the heritage laws.
Our Recommendation
In order to set up a window business successfully, the company is recommended to set up an office in the heart of the city, where many modern building are already built and are further being constructed. Therefore, the European Quarter is suggested as a hub for the Belgian market. In the European Quarter it is vigilant that construction of buildings containing large windows is of strong fashion. The skyline, which is in an ever-growing state, boasts scenery of modern artifact for the window market.
The competition is fierce, with company’s such as “protect house group”, “Building Windows” and “Monument Brussels” already dominating the market. Many more companies are present in the market of high-quality windows. Thus, a unique business model must be presented to the market in order to successfully differentiate themselves from the already strong positioned competition.
We believe, that Brussels is a highly developing city that could always use a fresh player on the market when it comes to high quality windows. Therefore it is recommended, to concentrate on the business districts and developing areas, rather than the heritage sites, due to the reasons mentioned above. On behalf of our group, we wish the new entrant the best of luck.
from left to right: Béatrice, Dominik, Karin, Jeremy, Estrella, Miriam