Let’s Build
  the Future

Quotes from the German Federal Environment Agency:

Sustainability: The term has its origins in forestry: Only as much wood should be felled as can also grow back. Generalized: Living from the yield, not from the substance.
With regard to society, sustainability means that each generation solves its own tasks and does not impose them on future generations.
Source: according to Federal German Government (2013): The national sustainability strategy.

Do we need a change?

Sustainability, CO2 footprint, preserving resources and energy efficient building saving are buzzwords which hardly any publication or event in the construction industry can do without. One might think that every new building and each construction product is produced and built in a sustainable manner.

However, a glance at planning offices, construction sites or discussions with craftsmen often reveals a different picture. This impression is confirmed by sober statistics: The construction industry accounts for a considerable share of energy and resource consumption.
The relationships between technical requirements, energy and material consumption and, of course, the function and esthetics of a building are complex. Which building materials are used, how many square meters of space are actually needed for what, and how much building technology is reasonable and necessary? Is a really required? Could car sharing be established for the building community instead of building parking spaces? Distinguishing between so-called greenwashing and truly sustainable solutions can sometimes be confusing and difficult. To come to promising building solutions and developments, all those involved in construction – architects and craftsmen as well as the construction industry – must continue to put common construction methods to the test and look for new ways to go.

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