At Plegt-Vos' housing factory, 'construction minister' Elanor Boekholt 'O Sullivan launched her acceleration package to crank up the 'faltering housing construction machine'. Is it enough? That question takes center stage in latest episode of the podcast Bureau Tough. A short, textual compilation.
Seated at the podcast table in Jaarbeurs's Speys restaurant are opinion maker Jan Willem van de Groep and real estate expert Nicole Maarsen. Maarsen is enthusiastic about the minister's measures. "I think the tone of her message is good and she is also pushing for pace. I am very positive about that."
Isn't it mostly more of the same?
Maarsen: "You can frame it that way, but you can also say she's building on what's good."
Can you name one sky-rocketing proposal?
Maarsen: "I think the fact that the minister is talking about 30 large-scale locations of national importance is a solid choice. Because then we are talking about prioritizing housing construction over all kinds of other things that are also important."
Are you as excited at Minister Jan Willem's approach?
Van de Groep: "Well excited not, because I know how complicated it is to really get something done in the construction industry. But I also think she is pressing on in a positive way with everything that was set in motion by former minister Hugo de Jonge, with a lot of support from the market. Extremely wise."
Nicole, you first met the minister in person during the presentation of her plans at Plegt-Vos' factory. How was that?
"Nice...
Fun
Maarsen: "Awesome. The calmness she exudes and the tone of yes, gosh: If you don't want to join in with the reaching out I'm doing, then there's probably no crisis. So just join in, let's help each other, we have quite a lot of good ideas already... Getting to work now."
The text continues below the photos: (Source: Plegt-Vos)
What did you discuss at the factory with architects, urban planners, builders and the minister?
Maarsen: "About what it will take to reach the goal of 50 percent industrial construction by 2030. We are now at 20 percent. It's now time for the next step."
It was also your first time in a housing factory. What was that like?
"I loved it. You see all these stations where different work is going on that you normally see on a construction site. Now a lot happens automatically and without weather. This development is also important for labor market potential. Many people who work in the factory are not trained as construction workers, but come from the automation or meat processing industry."
Not all architects are enthusiastic about factory housing. Would you like to live in a factory house?
"Definitely. By the way, I have always been in favor of this development. The president of the BNA (Association of Architects) aptly said, 'Everyone likes Paris.' Go and see how uniformly and uniformly that city has been developed.'"
Van de Groep: "Software is also getting smarter, and factories are also getting smarter. They can make more and more distinctive elements."
The minister has launched a whole package of measures to boost the pace of housing construction. What problem was highlighted during her visit to Plegt-Vos' 'Smart House Factory' in Almelo?
Maarsen: "The biggest problem is really the continuity of the order flow. Because we really won't reach the 100,000 if we don't manage and facilitate that better. In Groningen they are already working on that very well..."
Curious about the whole story? Listen to episode 29 of Bureau Stoer: 'The minister and the faltering housing machine'.
About Bureau Stoer
Bureau Stoer is a weekly podcast about building, design, development and area development. Three future thinkers and a journalist, together with different experts, get to grips with the questions of today and tomorrow. Previous episodes of this podcast can be found on our special page of Bureau Stoer.
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