SuReal is built with a very clear purpose
We strive to help save our planet. How? By leading the way towards a more sustainable built environment and having a lasting impact on the way that we live, plan and build. Everybody at SuReal lives and breathes an ever-present sense of urgency and purpose, which is what makes our company’s environment thrilling and nurturing. Every decision we make serves our purpose and follows the values we set forth with the team: Value-co-creation, Excellence, Independence, Dedication and One-Step-Ahead. ‘The learning curve is off the charts, I think it's really rare’ - SuReal consultant Making sustainability quantifiable is at the heart of SuReal’s objectives. It aims to put a stop to greenwashing and the many marketing slogans that support this prominent business practice. By making sustainability, and circular economy quantifiable, we put a stop to the bluffing, the cherry-picking and the greenwashing. Therefore we use internationally renowned certifications, perform detailed studies, do benchmarking and make in-depth analyses. In the absence of existing measuring tools, we create our own: the Circularity Index, or Sustainability Due Diligence. We believe that another way of achieving our purpose is through the principles of co-creation, education and raising awareness. That is why we created the SuReal Academy for Clients and Colleagues, and also by giving lectures at various universities and speaking at numerous conferences. We all need to work towards the same goal, learn from each other and continuously keep on improving our practices. Therefore one of the other objectives of SuReal is the internationalization of our services and projects.
SuReal was created in Brussels, with a team that together speaks over 10 languages, and has working experience in over 15 countries. SuReal has worked on projects in Belgium, France, Luxemburg, Poland, Japan, Italy, Spain, Cabo Verde, and the Netherlands. Sustainability does not have borders and our hunger for knowledge and co-creation is unstoppable. Our approach is not based on gimmicks or greenwashing but on truly realistic and future-proof actions with one sole aim: having an impact on society. We are not just a consultancy company, we are an international family, a family of like-minded people who teach, challenge and improve each other. SuReal’s team has grown at an incredible pace. We are a team of highly motivated, bright and dynamic people. We are engineers, engineer-architects, architects, economists, psychologists and policy analysts. We collaborate as a strong team and we offer an integrated approach that puts us a step ahead of the competition. And we don’t forget to have fun along the way: team buildings, anniversaries, running team,… People at SuReal love working here because everybody feels they can thrive at the company, learn at a fast pace, feel respected, listened to, empowered. We walk the talk, we are more than advocates of a more sustainable future, we actually live and breathe it: no company cars, healthy food, flexible working hours, composting bin at the office, professional running training, team picked charity,….
The partners
Sunita Van Heers
Managing Director I Civil Engineer Architect
Sunita has a master’s degree in engineering-architecture at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and Universidad Politecnico de Madrid, and she holds a master's degree in Executive Management from the Solvay Business School. She is driven and passionate about having a sustainable impact on our society. Rich in international experiences on different scales and typologies, she can provide advice on social, ecological and economic sustainability. Her experience with more than 100 (inter) national real estate projects gives her a broad sustainability perspective. Thanks to her academic combination of Engineering and Management she is also an ESG expert in Real Estate. She feels that education is one of the backbones of our society and the sustainability transition. Therefore she is a guest lecturer at several Universities (KUL, Saint-Louis, …) and she is Programme Director Sustainability at the University of Sain-Louis. She is a well-known sustainability expert with extensive experience in public speaking. Sunita is the founder of SuReal and has been nominated as Young Entrepreneur of the Year (region Brussels/Vlaams-Brabant). She likes a good electro party, jogging, yoga, cooking for friends and enjoying life.
Filip Grillet
Operations Manager I Industrial Engineer & Environmental Scientist
Filip has a master’s degree in industrial engineering and environmental sciences from the University of Antwerp. During these environmental studies, they went to the cinema with the students to watch Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth'. This touched him so much that from that moment on, his focus was contributing to the fight against global warming. He started his career in an engineering office in Belgium, then he worked in consultancy and finally arrived at this SuReal adventure to reach his personal goal: "leaving the world a better place than how we found it". Filip is SuReal’s Operational Manager and expert on the technical details of Sustainability (technical installations, Total Cost of Ownership, Energy concepts, Geothermal systems, …). He would like to conclude with some trivia: his favourite hobby is kitesurfing. A fantastic sport where you can feel and use the power of nature in all its facets.
SuReal releases first book
SuReal, specialized in providing advice on integrated sustainability and circular construction for large-scale real estate projects, has published its first book. 'The SuReal guide towards net zero carbon buildings, a focus on Embodied Carbon' is an experience-based guide about life cycle assessments and how we can reduce the contribution of building materials to greenhouse gas emissions.
As independent sustainability experts, we establish a future proof built environment.
The dreamteam
Florence Pierard
Team Manager
Florence Pierard has a background as an architect, EPB expert, and stability engineer, which gives her a very complete palmar. She enjoys working in a team, both internally and externally. Like the rest of SuReal, she likes to challenge the team, always aiming for more sustainability and innovation.
Bieke Aerts
HR Officer
Bieke is a highly motivated HR professional who is passionate about people. She has a lot of experience, having worked for both multinationals and start-ups. Her mission is to create a strong and innovative HR backbone in the company. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and practicing yoga.
Jolien Caerels
Medior Consultant
Jolien is an engineer-architect and focusses on the more advanced sustainability studies. Dynamic simulations, daylight calculations, irradiation studies, LCA's, … you name it! She is also the main writer of our first book 'The SuReal guide towards net zero carbon buildings'. In her spare time, she loves to travel.
Alexandre Chaudron
Medior Consultant
Alexandre graduated as Energy Engineer for smart cities. During his double degree at KULeuven and UPC Barcelona, he wrote a master's thesis about self-sufficient living boats. At SuReal, his expertise is energy as well as finding holistic approaches to sustainable construction. In his spare time, he enjoys kitesurfing in the ocean or skiing in the mountains.
Hadrien Cruyt
Junior Consultant
Hadrien is a double graduate in Industrial Construction Engineering and Commercial Engineering. At SuReal, he works mainly on LCA, comfort simulations, and urban studies. He also acts as our resident plant manager and is a big advocate for biophilia. In his spare time, Hadrien enjoys cooking, brewing, gardening, and playing music.
Louise Noël
Junior ESG Consultant
Louise Noël graduated at the Université de Namur with a master's in Management Engineering. She's fresh out of school and ready to work! At SuReal, she will now focus on everything ESG. A tennis player since childhood, she has found happiness in doubles games, enjoying playing in a team and relaxing in her free time, she has also discovered a growing interest in Pilates.
Francesca Vanoverberghe
Junior Consultant
Francesca graduated at the KU Leuven with a master's degree in engineering-architecture. During her education, she felt the urgency to transform the building sector into a more sustainable one and hopes to do her bit by working at high impact projects at SuReal. In her free time, she loves organizing trips, dinners, gamenights, etc.
Lenne Palmers
Junior Consultant
Lenne is a civil engineer specialised in building science. Before joining SuReal, he worked as a building auditor for buildings all over Europe. At SuReal he mainly works on certification and urban studies. Outside of work, he enjoys cooking, travelling and sports such as running, swimming and ice hockey.
Anton Vervoort
Junior Consultant
Anton is a civil engineer architect. During his studies, he took up a large interest in sustainable and alternative construction methods. At SuReal, he will help the team with multiple sustainability studies and certifications. In his spare time, Anton enjoys hiking, mountain biking and playing the banjo.
Carole Merceron
Intern
Carole is a french student studying architecture at the ENSA in Nantes while following a double degree in engineering at the ECN. She developed an interest in sustainability during her studies by learning about climate change and its impact on our world. She is interning at SuReal to be a part of the changes she wants to see. In her free time, she likes to read, crochet and discover the places of art and architecture in Brussels.
Amber Vanlerberghe
Management Assistant
Amber graduated as a trilingual paralegal with a double degree at UCLL Leuven and HELMo Liège. She has experience in different environments, having worked previously for a major bank and a legal tech start up. At SuReal she mostly assists our managing director Sunita. She also provides support to the day-to-day running of the business in all its aspects. In her spare time, Amber likes to spend the day reading or getting together with friends and family.
Hugues Delcourt
Senior Consultant
Hugues is a civil and bio-engineer who worked abroad for most of his career and is happy to work in Belgium again. He has developed a multi-disciplinary approach to environmental matters. He also teaches energy performance at the Université Denis Diderot and in his spare time he does DIY and mountain biking.
Matt Batey
Senior Consultant
Matt Batey started his career in forest regeneration in Australia and worked at a London solar PV startup. He discovered BREEAM during his Environmental Studies Masters thesis. He helped to develop BREEAM and other certifications from niche products to essential tools in real estate. He likes to run, cycle, swim, make pizza with his family and playing guitar like a SuReal rock star!
Juliet Nys
Medior Consultant
Juliet is a civil engineer architect. At SuReal she's mainly responsible for BREEAM certification and working on WELL projects. When she's not working, you'll find her playing football or driving through town on her motorcycle. She loves exploring different cultures and has lived in Australia, Portugal and Switzerland.
Tonia Dalle
Medior Consultant
Tonia is an architect with several years of experience in Parametric Environmental Design and a passion for Wood. She is an expert in Sustainability Certification Schemes and Dynamic simulations. In her free time, she likes listening to and playing music or climbing like a real spider(wo)man.
Nicolas Lambilliotte
Junior Consultant
After doing his bachelor's in Biomedical Engineering at Free University of Brussels, Nicolas studied nanotechnology at KUL and did his thesis at IMEC about a photonic magnetometer. He started working at SuReal because he wants to work towards a more sustainable world. Nicolas loves cycling, doing triathlons, playing field hockey, traveling, and skiing.
Thomas Mertens
Medior ESG Consultant
Thomas has a double master's in Business Economics at the University of Antwerp and International Politics at SOAS University of London. Thomas has several years of experience in research focusing on climate issues both at the European and the global level. Apart from work, he enjoys spending time outdoors, with friends, and doing different sports.
Anna Faltin
Junior Consultant
Anna was born and raised in Germany and studied architecture at the University of Wuppertal. During her studies, she took part in missions abroad, where she learned about construction management and sustainable materials. She is now WELL AP certified and a DGNB professional. Besides work, she enjoys planning all sorts of things, trips, events...
Louis Crijns
Junior Consultant
Louis graduated as an Architect at KUL. His passion for sustainable design has been growing during his studies. His interest in the technical aspects of buildings lead to him to this job. He works mainly on studies for BREEAM and LCA. In his free time, Louis loves to meet up with friends for either practicing sports or going to events. Furthermore, he likes to organize events himself.
Roxanne de Longrée
Intern
Roxanne is in her last year of Industrial Construction Engineering at ECAM Brussels. Coming back from an Erasmus in Italy, she committed to do her internship and her thesis at SuReal. Assisted by the experts at SuReal, her interests and knowledge in sustainability are growing day by day. Besides work, she enjoys dancing and being aware of new technologies.
Thomas Behaeghe
Sales Assistant
Thomas Behaeghe has a degree in environmental and sustainable management at HoGent. He has joined the sales team at SuReal to make sure we have a solid connection with current and new clients. In his spare time, Thomas enjoys playing footbal, padel and tennis and loves the go outdoors to hike and go snowboarding in the mountains.
SuReal academy
Sureal believes in knowledge sharing.
That is why in 2019 SuReal has created the “SuReal Academy”. This Academy serves all the SuReal experts within the company, boosting the learning curve. But the Academy also serves our clients and partners. SuReal’s experts address a certain topic of sustainability in the built environment and explain in detail the findings of certain projects and studies. Clients, and others interested, can follow these courses online or on-site. Previous topics were; TCO (Total Cost of Ownership), Circular Economy, Wind and Sun studies, Building Certifications Do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to assist in one of the future SuReal Academies or would like to become one of the SuReal rockstars to boost your learning curve.
We show our clients the way towards the most SUstainable and REAListic real estate based on our integrated studies and pragmatic certificates.
Values
Excellence
Do not give the customer what he asks for, but give what he needs. This is, first and foremost, "unburdening". Overdeliver: give the customer more than what he expected.
We believe it is important to deliver high quality. SuReal's reputation is linked one-on-one with the deliverables that are sent out. The review process is of great importance to guarantee our top quality. Clear, applicable and project-specific conclusions of our analyses are closely related to this.
Dedication
When you are dedicated to your job, your own goals align with those of the company. You have strategies to stay motivated during the workday, attempting to get all of your tasks done on time and generate the impact you want.
A SuRealist has a visible, almost infectious passion for one’s work. We apply a positive attitude and demeanour in personal interactions with the colleagues, with the customers and with other stakeholders. Dedication also means often demonstrating initiative often and be flexible when it comes to change. It's the reputation of getting things done even if this means you have to go the extra mile.
This high work ethic leads to feeling energized by what you do. You feel you're making a difference.
Value co-creation
The joint creation of value by the company and the customer, allowing the customer to co-construct the service experience to suit their context.
Value creation is based on the three pillars of sustainability:
People: integration of social aspects by upgrading neighbourhoods, the inclusion of minorities, and the creation of pleasant and comfortable buildings Planet: increasing ecological value, climate mitigation through minimal CO2-impact Profit: future-proof through flexibility, avoidance of lock-in effects, and climate adaptation To match the (sometimes conflicting) interests stated above, cooperation is key. This is true both for colleagues (using the various fields of expertise of our multidisciplinary team) and for all external stakeholders (designers, engineering firms, clients, etc.). This way, we arrive at a supported decision based on an integrated approach.
One-step-ahead
Look ahead. Always look for the very next step.
Proactivity means not only to come prepared, but also anticipate on what clients may ask you. On a more strategic level, being one step ahead is closely linked to innovation. Keep up to date with the latest developments in technology and policy. Standardise processes and tools to free up time to develop new services. On a personal level, this means lifelong learning and applying the new knowledge gained to increase your impact.
Independence
SuReal delivers the best available solution to make a project as sustainable as possible in an open-minded way. Because we always start at a conceptual stage, we are less dependent on solutions that have already been worked out before. We look at every issue with an open mind. Colleagues are free to offer their own ideas even if they're brand new and require some innovation effort. We encourage a culture of transparency and constructive feedback. On a business level, SuReal is independent of a large shareholder structure with ditto interests.
Partnerships
Ecobuild.brussels is the cluster for sustainable construction and renovation in Brussels. It brings together companies that are active in this sector and fosters their business development.
To do this, ecobuild.brussels has the following missions: Connect (bring together players in the construction sector), Highlight (showcase members and the sector), Inspire (facilitate the sharing of innovative practices), and Direct (orient companies demands towards the most competent actors).
As an actor of change, ecobuild.brussels focuses its action on the renovation of the building stock and on the circular aspects of construction.
RIBuild stands for Robust Internal Thermal Insulation of Historic Buildings. It is a EU research project that develops guidelines on how to install internal thermal insulation in historic buildings while maintaining their architectural and cultural heritage. The purpose is to reduce energy consumption in historic buildings in order to meet the EU 2020 climate and energy targets.
As a network partner, we receive the newest research-based knowledge first hand. This enables us to take the lead in improving the energy efficiency of historic buildings. Considering the significant impact of energy efficiency and sustainable materials with low environmental impact that do not harm the existing facade elements nor the air quality of building users. This knowledge is of high value when renovating historic buildings.
GRESB provides validated ESG performance data and peer benchmarks for investors and managers to improve business intelligence, industry engagement and decision-making. To avoid the worst impacts of climate change, the international community set a goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. As governments, cities and individual companies plan for the future, it’s clear that transitioning to a sustainable world is a challenge that we must face together. GRESB provides a consistent framework to measure the ESG performance of individual assets and portfolios based on self-reported data. Performance assessments are guided by what investors and the wider industries consider to be material issues, and they are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Climate Agreement and major international reporting frameworks.
Data reported to the GRESB Assessments are validated by a third party and scored before being used to generate the following ESG benchmarks for the industry.
To implement a circular economy in Flanders by 2050, alternative products, services and business models are a necessity. A close collaboration between companies, governments and research centra can realise this. Therefore the former Flemish Minister of Environment, Nature and Agriculture Koen Van den Heuvel launched together with Vlaanderen Circulair, de Vlaamse Confederatie Bouw and OVAM this Green Deal Circulair Bouwen.
SuReal participates in this innovative learning network by sharing practical experience with other construction companies, manufacturers of building products, local and regional governments, developers, researchers, etc.
De Kompasgroep is considered as the transdisciplinary arena within the Proeftuin Circulair Bouwen, where insight, expertise and information is exchanged between the different actors and their networks. They focus on the one hand on construction/demolition and policy, and on the other hand on financial, juridical and research aspects.
The group exists out of frontrunners playing an active role in the transition and bridgebuilders that can facilitate and accelerate implementation. Throughout a transition oriented co-creation traject, De Kompasgroep will identify system barriers and levers. These will afterwards be crosschecked with the broad public during thematic sessions.
Reseau Entreprendre Bruxelles is a networking organization for entrepreneurs in Brussels. With over 175 members they provide with support in terms of HR, network, Strategy, peer to peer coaching, funding etc. SuReal was elected as “laureate” in 2020 as fast growing company.
