Scaling up sustainability:
faster to 0

The sustainability challenge can feel like an endless marathon, yet a serial approach lets you sprint ahead. We explore how standardised processes, data-driven decisions and smart prefab solutions reinforce one another—and how Spartner proves to be a reliable guide.

Sustainability in flow

Why accelerate now?

Climate targets are approaching faster than expected—action is no longer a luxury

Automate

Using design systems, parametric tooling and industrialisation, you break projects into repeatable modules. That cuts failure costs and saves time.

Integrate

Combine insulation, services and façade finishing in one prefab skin. Fewer on-site activities and less disruption for residents.

Monitor

IoT sensors provide live feedback on energy use and comfort, turning every dwelling into a mini test lab.

Scale up

What works in one neighbourhood can be rolled out to ten others with minimal tweaks. The secret lies in standardisation plus a clever variable part.

Serial sustainability at a glance.

From pilot to production—where are the real levers?
A Swiss Army knife for construction

A Swiss Army knife for construction.

Integration is king

Many projects derail because insulation, services and user behaviour are viewed in isolation. Serial sustainability forces you to design them integrally: one BIM model, one logistics chain, one quality check.

Speed through repetition

I often notice that teams are afraid of copy-paste construction. In practice, residents appreciate predictable planning—and housing associations finally gain control over budget and performance.

Data as a turbocharger

By feeding delivery data and resident feedback straight back into the design kitchen, you create a learning loop that makes every next tranche smarter.

  • Lower failure costs, greater certainty

  • Shorter execution time—days instead of weeks

  • Consistent quality across the entire housing stock

  • A growth path to net-zero without the headache

Step-by-step plan for serial sustainability.

An overview of the key phases on the road to serial sustainability.

Step 1: Analyse the housing stock

Step 1: Analyse the housing stock.

Start with the big numbers: year of construction, typology, current label. Add infrared scans and blower-door tests. This reveals the quick wins and which series of homes suit a single standard solution.

Step 2: Design a modular concept

Step 2: Design a modular concept.

Choose a basic package (insulation, airtightness, ventilation) and an optional upgrade (PV, heat pump). By thinking in modules from day one, you can easily scale or fine-tune later.

Step 3: Move from pilot to pre-production

Step 3: Move from pilot to pre-production.

Test the concept on a small block of homes. Gather data, tweak details—think window size or pipe routes—and then create production drawings for series manufacturing.

Step 4: Secure a tight supply chain

Step 4: Secure a tight supply chain.

Set clear agreements with prefab partners, carriers and installation teams. A just-in-time schedule prevents waiting times and closed streets. Residents, frankly, sleep a lot better.

Step 5: Monitor, evaluate, improve

Step 5: Monitor, evaluate, improve.

Install sensors, hold kitchen-table talks with residents and perform periodic performance checks. Feed the insights straight back to your design team so tranches two and three are even sharper.

Let's accelerate together

Let's accelerate together

Do you already know exactly which neighbourhoods you want to tackle next year—yet still doubt the route? Let's grab a coffee and sketch the first outlines of a serial masterplan together.

A critical look at standardisation

A critical look at standardisation.

Copy-paste or customised with a twist?

The term 'serial' can make some professionals fear bland uniformity. Understandable—no one wants to live in a clone house. Yet it's not about identical homes but about identical processes.

Where is the flexibility?

  • Façade finish and colour scheme can vary per street

  • Installation packages usually come in three capacity variants

  • Interior finishing always remains the resident's choice

As mentioned earlier, it is about repeatable—not rigid—solutions.

Practical tips for a flying start

Practical tips for a flying start.

What you can do tomorrow

  1. Create a heat map of your portfolio and rank by energy urgency.

  2. Select one dwelling typology with the highest numbers—often a 1960s walk-up or terraced house.

  3. Organise a co-creation session with installers, prefab manufacturers and resident representatives.

  4. Translate the outcome into a modular concept design including cost estimate and schedule.

  5. Make smart use of subsidies; consider the Corporate Sustainability Incentive Scheme.

Looking ahead: digital twins and AI

Looking ahead: digital twins and AI.

Renovating smarter without demolition

Digital twins—virtual copies of your properties—allow you to run scenarios before the first screw is turned. Suppose AI predicts that a hybrid heat pump offers the best ROI in Street A, while Street B is better off all-electric. Your design decision is immediately backed by data rather than gut feeling.

What's coming?

  • Real-time energy simulations per dwelling type

  • Predictive maintenance based on sensor values

  • Automatic material optimisation for minimum CO2 footprint

In fact, suppliers are already working on robot-guided façade installation. It may sound futuristic, but the first pilots are running—and it works.

Hans Lugtenberg

"A deal is a deal"

Yield.inc is a new asset manager in the Netherlands that focuses on excellent customer experience, sustainability and technology. When faced with the question of whether to develop our platform in-house or with a partner, we got in touch with Spartner. We are still 100% behind the choice for Spartner because we own the source code and with Spartner, a deal really is a deal, whether it concerns the delivery date or the agreed budget!

Hans Lugtenberg Partner at Yield Inc.

Norbert Wegter

"A professional software partner since 2010"

Spartner is involved and contributes in our search for innovations and always delivers top-notch work. After the first Huurda.nl version got out-dated, we collaboratively launched a completely new version in 2020.

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Norbert Wegter Owner of 123wonen and Expat Homes Holland

"Doijer & Kalff"

After transferring our D&K portal to Spartner, we have elevated the further development and continuity to a higher level. Although the D&K platform was originally developed internally, our technical expert can now focus on other innovations within Doijer & Kalff. Spartner provides the quality we need without excessive costs. They have seamlessly taken over the care of our portal, allowing us to benefit from a flexible capacity that perfectly aligns with our future plans and innovation goals.

Reinier van Bergen Managing Director at Doijer & Kalff

Jurjen Terpstra

"Pragmatic and flexible collaboration"

Spartner has created a customized portal for us for the accountability of large-scale collaborative projects. This enables us and our partners to execute and account for their plans in a shared environment that is secure, transparent, and manageable. The pragmatic and flexible collaboration with Spartner has ensured that we have quickly achieved a functional and user-friendly environment.

Jurjen Terpstra Managing Partner at Wecreate Consulting

Marco Caspers

"AI and machine learning as legal tools"

In 2020, we transferred the development of Lynn to Spartner. As a result of their fast development process, the Lynn platform achieves an increasingly central role in the legal world.

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Marco Caspers Software Development Manager at Lynn Legal

Bjorn Gubbels

"As a business you must dare to move forward"

Innovation and change are not always welcomed with equal enthusiasm by our employees, man is a creature of habit but as a company you have to dare to move forward and the need for a contemporary drawing program for the realization of various constructions with our Masterbloc bricks was high. For us but also for Spartner, this challenge was a bit of pioneering and together we had to overcome some hurdles to arrive at a beautiful and efficient business tool. A development and learning process for both parties, in which the feedback of questions and desired adjustments by our employees to Spartner was always in good consultation and we could count on quick feedback and targeted solutions. We continue to exchange experiences with Spartner and look back and forward to a successful collaboration.

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Bjorn Gubbels Owner of Masterbloc

Marco Leenders

"Spartner extends our capabilities and development capacity"

With weekly calls, using our Azure DevOps sprint system, Spartner actively works together with our innovation, communication and software development departments.

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Marco Leenders Head of Automation

Gemeente Groningen

"Flexible collaboration with yearly updates"

The projectteam of the city of Groningen is very enthusiastic about the "Roomfinder" platform.

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Gemeente Groningen Projectteam

Josh Mountain

"Have been using Laravel Excel for years"

We requested custom help to a performance challenge we had in our implementation of Laravel Excel. I was amazed how quickly these Laravel artisans achieved significant performance gains, which saved us a lot of development time.

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Josh Mountain Co-Founder at IncentivePilot.com

Maurice Evers

"Higher occupancy rate thanks to our user-friendly platform"

Throughout the great years that we cooperate with Spartner (previously Maatwebsite, Ed.), our software has been developed continuously. Students and landlords actively work with features like allocation, payments, chat, contract generation and more.

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Maurice Evers Head of Student Housing Department

Maarten Bremer

"Innovating in the digital identification network of The Netherlands and Europe"

The pro-active approach of Spartner was crucial in understanding the complexity of the eHerkenning network.

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Maarten Bremer CTO / Founder Ensured

Niels Winters

"Innovation in legal technology"

As jurists with knowledge of IT, we highly value quality; within code, but also in process. The high work-level and trustworthiness of Spartner gives us the capacity to continuously create innovative features.

Read more

Niels Winters Managing Director JuriBlox

Frequently asked questions

😅 Why is serial sustainability actually cheaper?

Repeatable processes minimise design hours and failure costs. Materials are bought in bulk and prefab-assembled, reducing on-site labour costs.

🌡️ Does this not create cookie-cutter homes?

No. The processes are standard, not the aesthetics. Façade panels, colours and systems are modularly adjustable so that streets keep their own character.

🚚 How much disruption do residents experience?

In a serial trajectory the façade upgrade often takes only one or two days per home. Thanks to just-in-time logistics the street remains accessible and residents can usually stay at home.

🔌 Is net-zero always achievable?

Not always immediately. The serial route provides a growth path: insulate and seal first, then upgrade systems and add PV. This spreads investment and risk.

📊 How do you monitor performance after handover?

With IoT sensors for temperature, humidity and energy use. The data is analysed anonymously and fed back to both residents and the project team.

💶 Are subsidies available?

Yes, consider schemes like SVOH or the Housing Impulse. Availability varies, so always check the latest rules—or have a specialist assist you.

⏱️ How long does a project take on average?

It depends on scale, but with prefab skins a block of ten homes can be finished within two weeks. Preparation does take a few months.

🤔 What if a house falls just outside the standard type?

You can often use a plus-module—say an adjusted window size or extra insulation—without overhauling the entire design.

Feel like a cup of coffee?

Whether you have a new idea or an existing system that needs attention?

We are happy to have a conversation with you.

Call, email, or message us on WhatsApp.

Bart Schreurs
Business Development Manager
Bart Schreurs

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