Climate Neutral Buildings for Future-Proof Cities

The ELIA Green team wants to share the excellent news that A-Lab, the building where ELIA’s office is located, is in the final planning stage of becoming climate neutral. For some contextualisation, A-Lab is a Municipality-owned cultural heritage site in Amsterdam that serves multiple functions. It is home to creative, innovative, and socially conscious organisations, helping professionals connect, and it acts as a communal and neighbourhood centre where ideas grow in its studios, hubs, and stages.

According to the new plans, A-Lab will become more energy efficient, reducing its carbon footprint and serving as a sustainable building model for the neighbourhood and the city at large. Making buildings more energy efficient and climate neutral is one of the key pillars for many cities whose countries have signed the 2015 Paris Agreement, aiming to reduce CO₂ emissions and contribute to meeting its goals. Amsterdam is no exception. The Municipality, in consultation with local stakeholders, has developed a Roadmap to become Climate Neutral by 2050. 

As part of this long-term energy transition, the Municipality of Amsterdam is working to make educational, arts, and cultural buildings more energy efficient. Whether the buildings are municipally owned or not, the city encourages cooperation with owners to develop sustainability plans aimed at reducing demand for heat and electricity.

The Roadmap also outlines available funding sources to support these efforts. These include national (municipal, provincial, and central government), international (EU), and private funds from companies and financial institutions. In the case of A-Lab, for example, the Municipality, which owns the building, will fully cover the construction and sustainability measures.   ELIA would highly recommend reviewing the relevant sustainability and climate strategy documents from your own Municipality. These typically include useful links and guidelines about local requirements and funding opportunities for making buildings climate neutral. Investing in building renovations not only reduces long-term energy costs but also shows a strong commitment to municipal and global climate goals.  

Further reading:  

• Climate neutral roadmap Amsterdam – City of Amsterdam 
• Collaborative Models For Climate-Positive Cities & Communities – CrAFt Project