“Taking it for granted”
Nothing can be taken for granted, we have noticed in recent years. Now that we are allowed to meet again, we can experience the essence of our social contacts which we had to miss.
Raw materials, energy, water running out of the tap, price stability, peace in Europe, etc. These things, too, are no longer self-evident. The members of the cluster.ecobuild are aware of this and are looking every day for solutions for reducing our consumption of raw materials and energy and to reuse as much as possible the materials and resources which are already available.
This summer’s heat is hitting the urbanised Brussels-Capital Region harder than in other areas, and residents and nature are yearning to cool off. The urgency invoked by governments during the Covid-19 crisis has unfortunately not been extended to the climate crisis today. However, there are acute problems which also require urgent action. The slowness of change does not benefit the liveability of the city.
This necessary change to a climate-friendly city also offers new opportunities. The Brussels-Capital Region is launching a large-scale renovation strategy with Renolution in order to tackle the most energy-hungry homes.
Renovating requires huge amounts of material which will have to be produced, transported and installed. Reuse, as well as recycling, make it possible to reduce the quantities of raw materials needed. Europe is aiming to take into account the environmental impact of construction materials at the building level in all member states from 2027, using assessment tools (such as Totem, the Belgian tool developed specifically for this purpose). We already know the constraints and challenges in terms of energy, but the goal now is to reduce carbon emissions over the entire life cycle of the building, including materials. We still have 5 years in order to integrate the environmental calculations. Sooner or later this will become mandatory through regulation.
Taking into account the various aspects of sustainability in terms of comfort, energy, materials, water management and biodiversity is the challenge of the future. The members of the ecobuild.brussels cluster can certainly inspire others thanks to their ambitious sustainable and circular projects.
Author : Wendy Boswell, Architect-Researcher at CERAA asbl and Chair of the board of ecobuild.brussels
Read also : From waste to art; Volta XL: ecological renovation and inclusive living; Cork-city-2021-what-will-life-be-like-in-80-years-time; From now on, architecture must (absolutely) be inspired by nature
