Concrete as a secret weapon in the fight against CO2 emissions in new buildings!

Concrete as a secret weapon in the fight against CO2 emissions in new buildings!

What is happening in the world of building and sustainable architecture in Vienna? An exciting development has arisen around the topic of concrete as a building material. The Neubauerin, who was nominated for a coveted jewelry award, shows the potential of concrete, not only as a building material, but also as an environmentally friendly solution. According to the findings of meinzirk.at , concrete can help to reduce the energy requirements of buildings and to extend their lifespan considerably. That sounds promising!

It is no secret that the building sector in Austria causes around 10 % of greenhouse gas emissions, as the Federal Environment Agency states. This creates the majority of the buildings, especially through heating and cooling. Here concrete comes into play: This can optimize the required energy absorption by storing heat and thus contributing to reducing energy use and emissions.

sustainability in concrete construction

sustainable building requires clever decisions, starting in the planning phase. The focus is on aspects such as regionality, CO₂ reduction and durability. The use of concrete, which is obtained from domestic raw materials, enables shorter transport routes and thus reduces CO₂ footprint. According to sustainable-bau-mit-beton.de , emissions could be reduced by around 20 % compared to the average CO₂ intensity, which is remarkable.

In addition, concrete brings with it numerous advantages in energy efficiency: it can actively be used to heat and cool buildings and thus also support the integration of renewable energies. Especially the properties of concrete, such as its high durability and its complete recyclability, make it a promising material for the future.

research and challenges

The German Society for Sustainable Building (DGNB) recently published a study that examines the CO₂ emissions of various structures. The results show that a third of the greenhouse gas emissions of a building arise before use, during manufacture and construction. DGNB recommends to check the possibility of renovating existing buildings to reduce emissions.

With an average of around 440 kg CO2E per square meter, the examined buildings are below the reference value of the DGNB certification, but there is still room for improvement. The study emphasizes that ceilings and outer walls in particular have a significant influence on manufacturing emissions and further research is necessary to better understand the interactions between the structure and use.

summarized it can be said that the use of concrete not only takes a key role not only in architecture, but also in the reduction of CO₂ emissions. The developments and findings on this topic not only offer challenges, but also enormous opportunities for a sustainable construction in the city of Vienna and beyond.