Design, construction, operation and subsequent demolition. Today, the construction process is very linear and generates a huge amount of very expensive waste. A total of two thirds of all waste comes from construction. “It is therefore necessary to look at construction through the entire life cycle of buildings from construction, through operation to their demolition. If we want to build sustainably and not use up raw materials in the foreseeable future, it is necessary to reconsider our approach to design and think about the entire life cycle of the building within its design,” said Simona Kalvoda, Executive director of the Czech Green Building Council.
The lecture series is organized by the Council together with the Center for Architecture and Urban Planning in Prague.
According to the architect Karel Golán from the Institute of Circular Economy, we have learned in recent years to deal with savings, but only in the operation of buildings, for example in the form of insulation and reducing energy intensity. "However, we are not yet solving the entire life cycle, so we may not know how we will recycle the polystyrene that we use to insulate buildings during demolition. This view needs to be changed, "said Goláň.
According to Marie Nehasilová from the University Center for Energy Efficient Buildings of the Czech Technical University, it is necessary to regard environmental impact of materials from which the building is built already in the project phase. Today, materials can be selected, for example, according to the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). It is also necessary to think in forward about the bearing construction of the building so that it can be further used, if the building expires.
As presented by Jan Veisser and Jan Hora from the ORA studio, it is also possible to breathe new life into materials on a smaller scale by reusing structures or building materials such as stone or ceramics during reconstructions or furniture renovations.
Another solution is to increase the use of materials with a low environmental impact, such as wood. An example is the Kendeda Building in Atlanta, USA. "The materials are important not only in terms of their impact on the environment, but also in terms of a healthy indoor environment," explained Shan Arora, director of the Shan Arora building, during an online tour of this American project, which ranks among the most ecologically advanced buildings in the world. This is also why much of the Kendeda Building in Atlanta, USA, is made of wood. Big emphasis was also put on the selection of other materials according to their impact on human health. In addition, the building not only produces more energy than it consumes, but also captures and treats rainwater for all purposes, including drinking.
Construction companies in the Czech Republic are already starting to deal with the recycling of materials after the deconstruction of buildings. For example, Skanska sorts up to 95 percent of the materials coming from construction waste - mostly plastics, concrete and soil, which do not end up in landfills. This saves primary resources, which are gradually running out. "Assuming the same mining as before, there is a forecast that gravel in the Czech Republic will run out in 2062," said the head of sustainability of Skanska Karel Fronk. That is why Skanska also developed the Rebetong – 100 % recycled concrete, where construction rubble is used instead of crushed stone.