en
Nieuwsbrief
Cases

Hota builds with wood

  • Start-ups & scale-ups
  • Guarantees
  • Win-win loan
  • Growth

Of course, trees are cut down for the wood that Hota uses. But these are all the result of responsible forest management.

Trividend, the Flemish social economy investment company, granted a subordinated loan to Hota, a bio-ecological construction company based in Ghent, in 2021. Hota wants to make more homes in Ghent more energy-efficient. The cooperative has been focusing on energy-efficient renovation and (far) new construction projects since 2004 and wants to take the next step in its development with the loan, covered by a PMV guarantee and supplemented by Winwin loans.

HOTA cv makes and renovates low-energy houses. To this end, the cooperative uses eco-friendly materials that are reusable and biodegradable, such as recycled newspaper for insulation, wood wool mats and timber frame construction. It closely monitors new developments such as new insulation materials so that the cooperative can offer solutions that meet today’s building standards and have less impact on the environment. A tightening of the S-level, created in 2018 to express the energy efficiency of the building envelope of a house, is therefore not an issue for Hota: the company already has 15 years of experience in airtight construction. Of course, trees are cut down for the wood Hota uses. But these are all the result of responsible forest management. Building with wood also emits much less CO2 than traditional building methods. After all, a tree absorbs CO2 while growing, and processing also requires much less energy than cement or brick production.

Workers’ cooperative

Not only in its choice of materials does Hota make clear choices. The company limits itself to the Ghent region (to limit travel) and looks at the implantation of its projects: they must not take up extra green space. The corporate culture is also special: ever since its establishment in 2004, HOTA has been a workers’ cooperative. With the exception of young starters, all employees are working partners. The company’s capital is contributed or built up by the working partners. Since 2021, HOTA has been a recognised cooperative society.

More impact

A strategic exercise showed that the cooperative could make more impact and profit by focusing more on total renovation and larger projects. After all, Ghent has an old and poorly insulated housing stock. By insulating or renovating these, HOTA is contributing to meeting climate targets. HOTA therefore wants to shift up a gear and increase the number of employees to carry out more projects. That growth requires more resources and working capital. Hota found that financial strengthening with Trividend and further supplemented its financing with Winwin loans.

Visit the website of HOTA

www.hota.be