Belgium faces vast care-building renovation gap as heatwaves intensify

Updated 18 August 2026 — BELGIUM — La Libre reported on 10 August that 95% of Belgium’s care homes and hospitals require renovation by 2050, as the country confronts the strain that hotter summers place on elderly residents, patients and healthcare staff. The underlying estimate comes from construction federation Embuild, which says 1,447 of Belgium’s 1,523 residential care centres and 98 of its 103 hospitals fail to meet the energy standards set for 2050.

The figure measures the need for energy renovation, not the share of buildings proven unsafe during heatwaves. That distinction matters. Better insulation, ventilation, solar protection and cooling strategies can improve summer comfort, but Embuild’s published national inventory does not provide a facility-by-facility assessment of overheating risk.

Belgium’s existing protections combine building management with public-health procedures. The Federal Public Service for Health says the national heat-and-ozone plan runs from 15 May to 30 September and gives the regions responsibility for activating local measures when temperature thresholds are crossed. Elderly people and patients with heart or lung conditions are among those especially vulnerable to heat and ozone, according to the federal service.

Recent evidence from Flanders offers a more qualified picture than the headline figure alone. After unannounced inspections during hot weather, the Flemish Department of Care reported that 95% of inspected residential care centres kept indoor temperatures below outdoor levels and 96% provided a climate-controlled room. Inspectors nevertheless identified more systematic temperature monitoring as an area requiring improvement.

The broader challenge is demographic as well as climatic. Embuild calculates that Belgium will need up to 486 additional residential care centres by 2050 as the older population expands. Its methodology assumes that the present share of over-65s living in institutional care remains broadly stable. The federation also estimates that seven additional hospitals will be required.

The European framework adds a firm renovation direction. The Federal Public Service for Health’s summary of the revised EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive says it targets a zero-emission building stock by 2050 and requires national renovation plans, with earlier milestones for poorly performing non-residential buildings.

Belgium’s next test is therefore financial and administrative: regional and federal authorities must translate energy targets into funded renovation schedules while care providers continue immediate heat-protection measures. No consolidated national budget or binding timetable covering every affected hospital and care home has yet been published.