SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTIONPROVIDING EFFICIENT SOLUTIONS TODAY WILL BE OUR WEALTH TOMORROWwww.sustainableconstruction.eu

OUR CITIES ARE OUR CHALLENGE

50% of the World population lives in cities (today 3 billion people)

80% of the population of Europe lives in cities (today 400 million people)

The population of the planet will increase from 6 billion to 9 billion people during your life time

OUR CITIES ARE OUR CHALLENGE

People spend 90% of their time indoors;

The construction sector accounts for approximately 50% by weight of all material taken from the Earth’s crust;

The building industry is depleting natural resources beyond sustainable levels.

40% of the world’s energy consumption is required to operate buildings;

Buildings are directly responsible for a considerable amount of the world’s waste production;

The built environment is a stable environmental resource.

OUR CITIES ARE OUR CHALLENGE

85% of the impact buildibngs have on the environment occurs during operation;

Only 15% of the impact buildings have on the environment occurs during construction and demolition;

The initial construction cost of buildings is equivalent to the average buildings’ running cost for between 7 to 20 years – every 13 years on average buildings’ double their initial construction cost.

OUR CITIES ARE OUR CHALLENGE

THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR• EU

• Utilities

• Banks

• Mortgage Institutions

• Insurance Companies

• Member States

• Municipalities

• Promoter

• Design Team

• Contractor

• Manufacturer

• End-user;

All actors in the construction sector need to be addressed individually and collectively;

A special effort has to be made in relation to refurbishment of buildings;

An integrated approach to construction has to become part of the everyday business as usual culture of the construction sector;

MAIN BARRIERS IN THE WAY OF MAINSTREAMING SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION

Lack of political will and coherent top down message and consequentially public commitment

Lack of information and knowledge available to the main actors in the construction sector

Unclear links between environment and economy for most of the daily environmental impacting behaviours

“ The natural world - an ecosystem which is finite, non growing and materially closed…”Herman Daly

“We must only use natural resources coming from well managed ecosystems, using them in the most efficient and productive way taking care of all modifications we impose on nature.”Karl-Henrik Robert

ENVIRONMENTAL DIMENSION

The city’s public spaces are its first level of identity;

The more people identify with the built environment they inhabit, the more they will care about it and the better they will contribute to maintaining it;

Attractive urban contexts promote connected communities;

SOCIAL DIMENSION

“The new economical model can’t associate progress with quantitative growth. It needs to focus on qualitative improvement, that relies on the fact that nature is a finite, non growing and materially closed system.”Herman Daly, Beyond Growth

ECONOMICAL DIMENSION

“If, with our acts, we destroy the planet, what value does our material and economical wealth have to give us?”Al Gore, Uma verdade inconveniente

Our life style has changed and our dwellings need to adapt to our contemporary needs;

SPATIAL DIMENSION

The absence of comfort induces pain and this triggers action - if we are hot we open a window if we are cold we turn on the heating... In order to achieve the desired comfort conditions;

ENVIRONMENTAL COMFORT

The European Commission’s Energy Performance in Buildings Directive is being transposed in all Member States;Energy Certification in Buildings empowers the end-user, as it provides an objective and easy to understand rendition of each buildings’ comfort levels and energy consumption levels;

ENERGY CERTIFICATION OF BUILDINGS

There are many voluntary environmental certification systems that are adapted to each Member State’s climate and construction reality;

ENVIRONMENTAL CERTIFICATION OF BUILDINGS

REDUCING ENERGY DEMANDS

The first step towards improving the energy-environmental performance of a building is reducing the energy demand while increasing the indoor health and comfort conditions;

REDUCING ENERGY DEMANDS

DECENRTRALIZED ENERGY SUPPLY

The European Commission Directive on Energy End Use Efficiency and Energy Services provides the legal framework for utilities to provide energy services and for the end user to produce energy from renewable sources, interacting with smart grids;

REDUCE THE DEMAND FOR DRINKING WATER

There is a limited resource of drinking water on the planet;

Buildings can be designed and constructed to reduce the demand for drinking water;

DECENTRALIZED WATER SUPPLY

Recycling rain and grey water to use for non-drinking purposes such as watering of green areas, washing outdoor spaces, flushing toilets and washing machines;

Manufacturers interpret every act of purchase as an expression of the direction the market wishes to develop into;

Before specifying materials it is important that we research their life cycle and impacts on the environment;

SPECIFYING MATERIALS TAKING THE LIFE CYCLE INTO ACCOUNT

Buildings must facilitate materials to be reused and recycled;

Adequate space for recycling processes will encourage end users to perform their role in the life cycle of the materials they consume;

REUSING AND RECYCLING MATERIALS

The end user is being empowered by the global Climate Change challenge;

Knowledge is power - ICT can help us access the relevant knowledge;

Power needs to be given to people - and ICT can help people contribute to change their behaviour and practices, in order to assist sustainable development;

OUR ROLE AS THE END USER

Every act counts...… TIRONE NUNESwww.sustainableconstruction.eu

www.tironenunes.pt

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