Status: 10/08/2021 11:01 a.m.
The future of sustainable building is being discussed today at a conference in Saarbrücken. The area is currently suffering from a lack of material. However, the construction sector in particular could make a major contribution to climate protection.
On the construction site for the new daycare center in Wörrstadt, Rhineland-Palatinate, only a few circular saws and hammer blows can be heard. The building should be completed in these days. Nothing will come of it. “I’m frustrated. We are still missing the wooden windows. We have been waiting for the material since April,” says Eva Holdenried. The 47-year-old interior designer is responsible for the construction project. “Understandably, we get a lot of inquiries from the municipality as to when things will finally continue. But I don’t know either. The international demand is making wood scarce and prices have risen.”
Holdenried is not only annoyed about the forced shutdown on the construction site in Wörrstadt. She also worries about the future of sustainable building. The daycare center is largely made of wood. “This new building alone stores 110 tons of CO2. The amount of wood that we have built in here grows in 50 seconds in Germany. You can see the potential – also for the environment.”
A lack of wood also makes sustainable building difficult
The enormous price increase for wood and other sustainable materials is a significant damper for sustainable building, says Holdenried. “Interest has recently increased. The building regulations have also been adjusted. Now comes the shortage of materials and the rise in prices. This of course prevents many builders from planning in this direction,” she says. “Others are considering jumping off again.”
Building with wood is physically demanding, explains Holdenried. A sustainable house can easily keep up with a conventional building in terms of quality. “If you look at the historic city centers, you will find mainly half-timbered buildings there. As long as the wood remains dry, it is also durable.”
“The amount of wood that we have built in here grows back in Germany in 50 seconds.” – Architect Eva Holdenried on the construction site of a daycare center in Wörrstadt
Image: Axel John, SWR
The architect sees an opportunity for more climate protection in the construction sector in particular. Because the construction sector has very high CO2 emissions. “Concrete is a wonderful building material that you can do a lot with. But a lot of CO2 is already produced during manufacture,” she explains. “Cement, in particular, is a problem, which is the main component of concrete. The carbon footprint is just as bad with aluminum or composite materials. They are glued together, can no longer be separated and can then no longer be recycled.”
High CO2 emissions in building and living
Holdenried’s assessment is confirmed by the Federal Institute for Building, Urban and Spatial Research (BBSR) in Bonn. A study by the institute comes to the conclusion that 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in Germany are caused by the manufacture, construction, modernization and use of buildings.
The BBSR therefore comes from in its answer to an inquiry tagesschau.de to the conclusion: “An essential prerequisite for achieving the climate protection goals in Germany (…) is the significant reduction or, if possible, even avoidance of greenhouse gas emissions over the entire life cycle of a building. This applies to the construction, operation and renovation and the dismantling. “
Temperatures of up to 55 degrees Celsius
Jens Stahnke from Saarbrücken had a lot to do in the past few days. The architect from Saarland helped organize the international congress on sustainable building. More than 600 experts from Germany, France, the Benelux countries and Switzerland are taking part this Friday – many of them virtually.
“Climate change does not stop at borders. It is important to exchange ideas internationally,” says Stahnke. “In our region, temperatures of up to 55 degrees are expected in summer from 2050 onwards. How can we counteract this through sustainable building? What does that mean for urban development? We have to be prepared for that now.”
The organizers are particularly pleased that politicians are also represented at the congress. “The Environment Minister and the Minister for Europe from Saarland are there. There are also many mayors – as well as representatives from building authorities. That could make a lot easier when planning houses and cities with a view to climate change,” Stanke hopes.
He also sees opportunities in the current delivery bottlenecks. Materials such as loam or clay are cheap and easy to use. Stahnke is also thinking of local solutions – for example with wood. “More wood should be grown in Saarland. More of this raw material from the forests could already be used. That saves transport routes and also a lot of CO2.”
Unification and simplification
Christine Lemaitre is also observing the price development for building materials in Stuttgart. She is on the board of the German Sustainable Building Council. “I’m now optimistic about wood. Prices are calming down. The industry should soon get the delivery bottlenecks under control,” she believes.
Lemaitre is critical of a completely different area: politics. She expects more courage from the new federal government: “Laws and regulations must be quickly revised, standardized and simplified.” A federal building ministry is necessary for this. Responsibility is currently spread over too many ministries in Berlin. “That goes above all through the Ministry of the Interior. The Ministry of the Environment also wants to have a say, as does the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Labor.” But one does not speak to one another. It couldn’t stay that way. “We need more speed in sustainable building and climate protection,” says Lemaitre.
“Building with a new awareness”
In Wörrstadt, Eva Holdenried goes through the construction site again. “I very much hope that the timber deliveries will ease up soon. But I fear that the price will remain high in the long term. Wood was actually too cheap in the past. Sustainable building will not be easier this way.”
But it is also about new answers. For lower energy consumption, it is also for a more careful use of existing properties. “Instead of demolishing, old houses should be used and modernized again. That also saves a lot of CO2. We also need a new awareness when building – at all levels.”