Howdy Coworking

The coworking space and concept store with a sustainable smile

Energy standards for residential properties are changing. By 2028, owners of houses with an epc label E or F must renovate to at least an epc label D. For non-residential buildings, however, the bar is much lower. For example, owners of commercial premises will not have to put an epc label E on the table until 2030. Although that was beyond Sarah and Mathieu of coworking space Howdy in Berchem. In their trading space, they show how things can be done differently, and especially more sustainably.

When graphic designers Sarah and Mathieu bought and renovated their flat in 2019, they already did so with sustainability and ecology in mind. They took that experience into their second renovation, but this time in a more thoroughly ecological way. After about three months of insulating (using recycled newspaper and grass, among other things), replacing old windows and especially a lot of finishing touches in the shell of the building, they delivered a sustainable coworking space and concept store in April 2023.

A coworking space full of recycled and second-hand materials
Today, avid coworkers find themselves among desktops made of PEFC-certified three-ply spruce, floors made of cork, a kitchenette made of, among other things, recycled OSB boards from their flat renovation, ... The duo also consciously chose second-hand furniture for the interior of their building. From office chairs and the coffee machine to splashback tiles and doors: everything gets a second life.

Local and packaging-free alternatives at your fingertips
Even down to the smallest details, Sarah and Mathieu choose sustainable and local alternatives. For instance, their coffee beans and tea come from a local shop a few 100 metres from their front door. Hand and laundry soap come from a packaging-free local shop in Borgerhout. Part of their profits from book and print sales also goes to good causes such as Natuurpunt and Oxfam.