Image Jacopo Scdellari, My City/EEA
The construction, use and demolition of buildings puts significant pressure on the environment and climate, but smart retrofitting with a focus on efficient use of energy and resources is key, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) report published today. could help make Europe’s housing sector more sustainable.
The EEA report ‘Addressing the environmental and climate impacts of buildings’ assesses the current state of Europe’s building stock and considers what is needed to make European buildings more sustainable. Renovating existing buildings with sustainable materials while increasing their resilience to climate change and working with nature is key. The report also considers what policy measures are needed to achieve this by 2050.
More than 30% of the EU’s environmental burden comes from buildings, making it the sector with the highest environmental impact. Approximately one-third of the Union’s material consumption is spent on construction. Building use accounts for 42% of total energy consumption and 35% of greenhouse gas emissions. Building decommissioning leads to the largest waste stream in the EU by weight. According to the EEA report, although recycling rates of demolition waste are high, it mainly results in low-value downcycles.
The EEA report states that demand for specific uses of buildings in Europe is expected to change due to an aging population, increasing affluence and a changing climate. Cities are likely to need more buildings, and they will need to contribute to environmental and climate solutions, such as saving and producing energy, protecting against climate change, and restoring nature.
Percentage occupied by buildings
of the EU’s environmental footprint
of our material
consumption
of total energy consumption
greenhouse gas emissions
To make Europe’s building stock sustainable, priority should be given to retrofitting existing buildings and using building products with a low environmental impact throughout their life cycle. Buildings need to reduce energy consumption, be climate resilient and support biodiversity by incorporating green spaces, roofs and vegetation into building designs. Sustainable building systems must create affordable and accessible housing for all. This objective will be supported by participatory approaches to decision-making that foster strong local communities, alongside grants for building renovations and upgrades to increase the affordability of sustainable buildings now and in the future. There is a possibility that
EU policies related to buildings
Buildings are linked to several key EU policies, such as climate and energy, circular economy, digitalisation, nature and just transition, but there is only one broad EU strategy that covers everything regarding buildings. It doesn’t exist.
Most recently, the European Commission launched the New European Bauhaus policy and funding initiative in 2021 to promote sustainable solutions to transform the built environment and lifestyles.
Furthermore, the European Commission is expected to increasingly focus on housing with the publication of the European Housing Construction Strategy, which includes a dedicated Commissioner for Housing, a European Affordable Housing Plan, and improving the environmental performance of construction.
