Sustainable building no avoiding according to expert opinion today not and in the future do not. Actually, what is sustainability in the construction industry? What is a sustainable building in concrete terms? (tdx) At the latest since the Kyoto Protocol, which entered into force in early 2005, is clear: the emission of Treibhausgasen must be reduced dramatically in the next few years, people want to get the environment even for their offspring. edge. From this necessity, in particular the construction industry has undergone a positive development. More and more designers and builders rely on energy-efficient and sustainable building, more and more homes are built according to ecological criteria, which conserves resources, saves energy and ultimately reduce emissions. But what is sustainable in this context at all? And how does a building a sustainable building? In recent years, sustainability has”become a keyword in all areas of daily life. The term basically means that Same: ensuring the quality of life of present and future generations. To achieve this goal in the long term, building material manufacturers make sure increasingly to improve the technical and environmental performance of their products.

So-called environmental product declarations form the basis for this (English: environmental products declarations, EPDs), in Germany by the Institute building and environment e.V. are issued. Environmental product declarations contain detailed information on the ecological, but also the technical characteristics of a product along the various stages in the product life cycle, from raw material extraction and manufacture about the processing and use to recycling. Core an environmental product Declaration is an eco-balance, which reveals the significant environmental impacts of the product, such as global warming potential as well as the resource and energy usage based on various metrics. Planners and builders can therefore already in the planning phase on a sensible, environmentally-friendly use of resources make sure with the holistic approach of the Is building over its entire life cycle in the foreground. In other words: It helps not much if E.g. only renewable materials used in house building, just because you think they are environmentally friendly. What matters in addition to the ecology of building materials, is above all their resistance, because a building is maintenance-free for decades, saves in addition to new resources of time and money.

As a result the balance of four factors must ensure a sustainable building: it must be economically, ecologically, technically efficient and socio-culturally appealing according to the social needs. What good is a House with a straw roof, when it is susceptible to maintenance and the residents do not feel comfortable in it, because the roof is hardly sound and heat insulation? Only when these factors are brought in line with each other, a building is really sustainable. In a special importance the longevity of the House, as it equally protects purse and the environment this. For more information on the Internet at. Tanja EST