2026 promises to be a great construction year, say three trend watchers in latest episode of the podcast Bureau Stoer. "Big investors want to invest in entire building streams. With that, billions will be released."
One understands real estate, another biobased construction and yet another innovation. Together, Nicole Maarsen, Dick van Ginkel and Jan Willem van de Groep are the beating heart of Bureau Stoer, the weekly podcast about area development that doesn't let go, but solves. On the eve of New Year's Eve, it's time for an interview with the trio about the old year and the new.
Curious about the story? Read it below or listen to the latest episode of Bureau Stoer.
What was 2025 for construction year?
Jan Willem van de Groep: "Tough. A lot has been released in terms of faster, affordable and future-proof construction."
Dick van Ginkel: "Agreed. I especially like the fact that construction companies are increasingly working on the topic of CO2 reduction: how do I build with other materials?"
What was the highlight?
Nicole Maarsen: "The fall of the cabinet, if that may sound a bit cynical. But that fall freed us from 'the clamp of negativism' we were all in. By the way, many good things were also accomplished in 2025 to accelerate the pace of housing construction. Hopefully we can turn that into results in 2026."
Who was the "builder" of the year?
Jan Willem van de Groep: "Friso de Zeeuw of the program Stoer (scrapping building regulations) made his mark quite nicely. The same goes for Fahid Minash, director of NEPROM (association of developers). He is now pretty much the ministry's house whisperer, although I don't know if that is always a good thing."
But which architect or builder will make the difference in 2025?
Jan Willem van de Groep: "Then I still come back to our friends in Dokkum (Bouwgroep Dijkstra Draisma, ed.). With the CO2-negative Smukwoning they are pushing the boundaries of building regulations and are even able to push them."
Dick van Ginkel: "I find the story of construction company Van der Hulst impressive. The white label factory that will open next summer heralds - a very different way of building by Dutch standards. Precisely because they are opening doors for all kinds of SMEs."
Does that make Yvonne van der Hulst construction woman of the year 2025?
Dick van Ginkel: "My vote she has."
You are quite optimistic about 2025. But the construction of 100,000 homes annually is far from being achieved. Why is that?
Jan Willem Van de Groep: "We are still paying too much money for land. That hangs over the head of area developments like a sword of Damocles: we pile up many ambitions, for which there is no money."
Dick van Ginkel: "I think it's a combination of things. Grid congestion, long objection procedures and the too-high price that has indeed often been paid for land."
What will be the trend in 2026?
Nicole Maarsen: "Big investors are slowly getting ready to buy not just more building stock, but entire building streams. Under the radar, these are now really exploring how to organize more purchasing power. If that trend of long-term, area-based investment plans continues, we'll have a big movement on our hands, because that will accelerate investment capital coming to the market. Now that's dormant money and it's no longer tens of millions, but billions."
Jan Willem van de Groep: "Agreed. That undercurrent has been going on for some time. I find that unfortunate and think that investors who, for example, are betting massively on bio-based construction should be allowed to do that much more visibly, because then it becomes more normal."
Dick van Ginkel: "We need all materials Jan Willem, not just biobased. It's about making area developments CO2-resistant... I see healthy building a bit like the five-slice pie chart."
Jan Willem van de Groep: "CO2-negative concrete? Also good."
What really needs to change in the construction and installation industry by 2026?
Nicole Maarsen: "We need to better manage the complexity (stacking of ambitions and requirements, ed.) around area developments, because we still build too much by the grace of escalation. How? By depoliticizing problems and making it clear earlier what we want to build, where. In addition, we need to do more with data-driven area development."
Dick van Ginkel: "I am very much looking forward to the installation-free office being developed in Amsterdam. Soon the episode of Bureau Stoer that we made about it will be online... What a new cabinet should do? Pick up solutions from the market and give them a place in better laws and regulations."
Jan Willem van de Groep: "Builders and developers are indeed already really enjoying themselves. The government should create conditions that allow the frontrunners to flourish and show what they can just already do. People think it comes at the expense of speed, but that's nonsense."
This article is a short version of the podcast Bureau Stoer episode 10. Listen to the podcast.
Bureau Tough episode 10
Title: New Year's Eve with Bureau Stoer: 'Investors' dormant billions start to loosen up'
With: Nicole Maarsen (area development expert), Jan Willem van de Groep (bio-based and energy-efficient building expert), and Dick van Ginkel (innovation and building regulation expert).
Presentation: Thomas van Belzen
Editing: Kalynda Haaf (HaafVisual)
