Construction of Tomorrow article Nikola

On September 30, the event Construction of Tomorrow was held at the Inter Expo Center, organized by Investor Media Pro – a forum where, for the second consecutive year, investors, builders, architects, and entrepreneurs gather to discuss topics about the present and future of construction. 

The guest speaker in the third panel of the event was Nikola Stoyanov - the founder of LUXIMMO GROUP and co-owner of the construction-investment company Taskov&Stoyanov. 

The topic discussed during the panel was “Buildings of the Future: Green, Smart, and Sustainable,” where Nikola Stoyanov shared his position not only as an experienced entrepreneur but also as a person involved in real estate sales who understands the needs of his clients. 

In the following lines, we will present the most interesting excerpts from the panel, with the first topic addressed related to the value brought by properties that are energy-efficient or green. 

According to Nikola Stoyanov, when we talk about green, sustainable buildings, it is not only about whether the building has a large garden and charging stations for cars. A sustainable building is one where high-quality construction and finishing materials have been used, making it energy-efficient. The real value begins when you can show the owner specific things: how much less energy it will consume, how much they will pay for heating and cooling, what comfort it will have inside, what the sound insulation is like, the air quality, what the maintenance costs will be, and how this building will perform after 10, 20, or 30 years. 

Another important point highlighted during the conversation is the new European requirements that will come into effect in 2030. The new European legislation stipulates that all new buildings in the EU from 2030 onwards must be zero-emission buildings. This means that the building is designed and constructed so that under normal operation it does not emit or practically reduces to zero greenhouse gas emissions related to the energy it uses.

Later, the conversation shifted to how much it costs to build sustainable and smart buildings, to which Nikola Stoyanov responded as follows: 

“My data shows that the additional investment is approximately in the range of 1 to 10%, depending on the type of building and the level of sustainability. The IFC institution, part of the World Bank Group, for example, gives an average of about 2% additional capital expenditure for residential buildings and about 5 years payback period through operational savings.”

The same applies to “smart home” technologies. For me, a “smart building” does not just mean being able to turn on the air conditioner from your phone. A truly intelligent building is one that optimizes its consumption on its own, manages heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting, access, and energy, even learns the habits of the owners and optimizes energy use accordingly, thus reducing costs.

However, these reflections raise the question of whether the Bulgarian buyer is ready to pay a higher price in exchange for better quality of life and lower costs in the long term. 

The opinion here is somewhat special, as buyers always want the best conditions, the highest quality construction, and the best materials, but they are not always ready to pay the price that this costs. 

At the end of the panel, Nikola Stoyanov emphasized that in marketing newly constructed projects, it is extremely important not to exploit the trust of clients. Visualization can present the project in its best light, but under no circumstances should it create illusions that have nothing to do with reality. The client can forgive you many things. But it will be hard to forgive the feeling that you have misled them. And especially in “off-plan” sales, trust is part of the product. Therefore, my principle would be: Marketing should show the project in its best possible light — but what we promise in the picture, we must have the ambition to build in reality.

The team of LUXIMMO GROUP and especially Nikola Stoyanov thank the organizers of the event for the excellent organization and the opportunity to have a fruitful discussion about the buildings of the future.