The April issue of atmo magazine. Image: atmo
Construction transition now!
Germany must be climate-neutral by 2045, yet the building sector is chronically lagging behind on this path. The "Bauwende-Bündnis" (Building Transition Alliance) shows how the transition can succeed with seven concrete measures:
Utilize existing structures
Leverage the existing building stock through renovation, vertical expansion, and repurposing to protect the climate. This creates new living and working space without consuming additional land, while keeping energy use and costs low.
Choose sustainable building materials
Prioritize circular, regional, recycled, renewable, and earth-based materials. This includes wood, clay, lime, straw, brick, and more. They save resources and manufacturing energy, and—like wood—can even store CO₂.
Set CO₂ limits
Denmark and France are leading the way: they have implemented CO₂ caps for construction projects that account for the entire building lifecycle. Clear CO₂ budgets per square meter consistently steer planning and material selection toward climate protection.
Build circularly
Buildings must be designed so that components can be repaired, dismantled by material type, and reused. Materials must not become waste after a single use.
Stop demolitions
Our buildings are valuable material banks filled with "embodied energy"—the energy used in the production, transport, and installation of materials. This is lost during demolition. At the same time, renovation requires less embodied energy and therefore less CO₂ than new construction. Therefore: preserve buildings and extend their lifespan!
Commit the public sector
Federal, state, and local governments must consistently mandate climate-friendly construction methods and materials in their tenders. This will accelerate innovation across the entire construction sector.
Plan together
Construction influences climate, health, and quality of life for decades. Planning must involve people and utilize new insights from research, practice, and community projects.
Our seven demands were published in the April issue of atmo magazine on the topic of "BUILDING BETTER [not new]"Get a preview of the issue in the debate with Elisabeth Broermann from Architects for Future, which is available online. If you would like to support independent environmental journalism, you can subscribe to the magazine here.
The Bioeconomy project also demonstrates how these demands can be put into practice, offering concrete solutions, examples, and inspiration for a sustainable construction transition.
The Bauwende-Bündnis (Construction Transition Alliance) was initiated by the environmental organizations Bauwende e.V. and natureplus e.V.
Further information: natureplus-label.org
