Celebrating the Innovators in Real Estate and Construction

At PropTech Lab , the end-of-year event is a time to reflect on the achievements and challenges of the past 12 months and to look forward to the opportunities and trends of the next year. For PropTech Lab a community of Innovators for stakeholders in Urban and Real Estate Development, it is also a time to celebrate the best practices and solutions that have emerged in the sector.

That is why we organised the annual Belgian Proptech Trophies for three categories:

• Successful Collaboration of the Year
• Startup of the Year
• Project of the Year

These titles aim to recognise and showcase the most innovative and impactful initiatives that have contributed to the transformation and improvement of the real estate and construction industries.

The winners were chosen and announced at the end-of-year event, where they received their titles and shared their insights and experiences with the audience. In this article, we will introduce you to the winners and their projects, and explain why they deserve the recognition and applause of the entire community.

Successful Collaboration of the Year: Ziggu and Vesta Development

The first category, Successful Collaboration of the Year, celebrates the partnerships and synergies that have been created between different actors in the sector, such as corporates and startups, or developers and end-users. The finalists for this category were:

Ask Nestor + Revive : a collaboration between a digital concierge service and a real estate developer to offer personalised and seamless customer experiences.

Izix + PATRIZIA SE : a collaboration between smart management software of office parking and mobility and a real estate investment manager to optimise the performance and sustainability of their portfolio.

Living Tomorrow + Scanbie : a collaboration between a living lab and a 3D scanning company to create immersive and interactive virtual tours of their innovation projects.

Ziggu + Vesta Development: a collaboration between a customer portal and a developer to streamline the aftercare process and increase customer satisfaction.

The winner of this category was Ziggu and Vesta Development, who worked together on setting up an important integration for the entire real estate sector: between ziggu.io (customer portal) and Letsbuild.com (snagging). This integration allows developers like Vesta to easily communicate with their customers throughout the construction and delivery phases, and to manage and resolve any issues or defects that may arise during the handover and warranty periods.

Many other corporates are now following in their footsteps because it not only drastically increases their efficiency in aftercare but also boosts customer happiness in one of the most stressful steps of the customer journey: moving into your new home.

According to Vesta Development, it is difficult to put an exact number on it, but the return on investment has proven itself already in a matter of weeks. Fewer mistakes, less manual repetitive work for the team, and happier customers are some of the benefits that they have experienced thanks to this collaboration.

The prize was received by Anthony Verstraete , Head of Commercial Development & Innovation at Vesta Development, who thanked Ziggu for their professionalism and flexibility and expressed his enthusiasm for continuing and expanding such innovative partnerships in the future.

Startup of the Year: Trinergy

The second category, Startup of the Year, recognizes the most promising and disruptive startups that have launched or scaled their solutions in the real estate and construction sectors. The finalists for this category were:

Trinergy : An AI-driven solution that helps its customers make smarter energy purchasing decisions. A tool which gives real-time insights into energy market prices and can predict future trends, and gather, clean, report and analyse energy data for buildings. Identifies energy spillage inside the company and its buildings and takes actions to lower the consumption without lowering the comfort or output of your organisation.

BeiT : a solution that offers an all-in-one solution that helps property and facility managers efficiently manage their residential buildings by digitising, automating and centralising all their core processes. We enable their tenants to save up to 30% on their utility bills (electricity, gas, water, heating, A/C) through real-time energy tracking, monitoring and optimization tools.

Enersee : a solution that provides a real-time Energy Diagnostics Al that can connect to any energy management or IoT platform. Analyzes all data real-time and turns any existing metering into the smartest Energy and Sustainability management software in the market with zero configuration or solution maintenance.

WonderWalls : They offer an efficient way to energy renovate buildings. Thanks to a fully digitalised and optimized process and flatpack delivery, WonderWalls' custom energy renovation kits turn buildings into flexible and energy-efficient systems. The kits are based on a unique and proprietary modular structure made of recycled plastic ensuring durability and future-proofness.

The winner of this category was Trinergy , a startup who’s mission is to empower businesses to significantly cut energy costs and carbon emissions while ensuring compliance with regulations. Trusted by 100+ leading companies in different industries and backed by a proven track record, they are the go-to solution for optimizing building energy resources, achieving sustainability goals, and staying ahead in today's competitive market.

Trinergy has achieved impressive results in 2023, both in terms of internationalisation and local market penetration. They have opened the French and German markets with their first customers, and they have signed contracts with some of the biggest energy consumers, railway operators and real estate managers in Belgium and France.

Some of their key numbers are:

• 21.500 buildings in portfolio
• 10x less errors in energy invoice treatment
• 22% average savings on energy invoices
• 17% average C02 reduction

The prize was received by Antoine Herinckx and Nicolas Herinckx , the co-founders of Trinergy , who thanked their team, their customers, and their partners for their trust and support, and shared their vision and ambition for the next year.

Project of the Year: #WoodHub

The third and final category, Project of the Year, celebrates the most innovative and impactful projects that have been developed or completed in the real estate and construction sectors. The finalists for this category were:

BESIX RED for the #ICONE project: a mixed-use development that combines offices and retail in a dynamic and sustainable urban environment.

Revive for #WattTheHealthProject: a space where health, technology, and sustainability intersect to create a better, healthier future for all.

CFE for #WoodHub project: a wooden office building that sets new standards for energy efficiency, carbon reduction, and well-being.

The winner of this category was #WoodHub, a project that aims to create one of the most ambitious buildings in the Benelux in terms of energy performance and carbon footprint. Wood Hub is a wooden office building that combines a prefabricated hybrid structure of wood and concrete, a smart energy management system without fossil fuels, and certifications of BREEAM Outstanding, WELL Platinum, and Taxonomy aligned. The project is a collaboration between BPI Real Estate and CFE and covers 7,300 m² of office space.

Wood Hub is a champion of sustainability, as it reduces the CO2 emissions related to building structures by nearly 30% thanks to the use of certified PEFC wood from sustainably managed forests. It is also almost energy self-sufficient, with an estimated primary energy consumption of less than 8.59 kWh per m², thanks to the geothermal energy combined with heat pumps and nearly 300 photovoltaic solar panels. Moreover, Wood Hub guarantees a working environment designed for the well-being and efficiency of its users, with natural light, fresh air, green spaces, and ergonomic furniture.

The prize was received by Sandra Gottcheiner , Director of Development of BPI Real Estate and Yannic Kotnik , Sustainability Officer at CFE who thanked CFE, Ethias, and the project team for their contribution and collaboration, and highlighted the challenges and lessons learned from this innovative project.

We congratulate all the winners once again for their outstanding work and innovation, and we thank them for inspiring and leading the way for the rest of the community.

We also thank all the participants, finalists, sponsors, speakers and partners who made this event possible and successful. We look forward to seeing you again at our upcoming events and discovering new and exciting innovations in Real estate and Construction.

Composed by Prekshit Suthar and Julia Saraf