Assessment of Building Materials in the European Residential Building Stock: An Analysis at EU27 Level

Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy consumption in the building sector requires not only improving the energy efficiency of buildings but also minimising material requirements, embodied emissions, and waste generation. Circular Economy (CE) principles can be applied to minimize resour...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sustainability 2023-05, Vol.15 (11), p.8840
Main Authors: Zandonella Callegher, Claudio, Grazieschi, Gianluca, Wilczynski, Eric, Oberegger, Ulrich Filippi, Pezzutto, Simon
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air pollution
Air quality management
Alternative energy
Analysis
Building construction
Building materials
Buildings
Built environment
Climate change
Construction
Construction industry
Construction materials
Emissions
Energy consumption
Energy efficiency
Environmental assessment
Greenhouse gases
Houses
Housing
Insulation
Manufacturing
Raw materials
Real property
Recycling
Renovation & restoration
Residential areas
Residential buildings
Resource recovery
Stocks
Valuation
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Summary:Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy consumption in the building sector requires not only improving the energy efficiency of buildings but also minimising material requirements, embodied emissions, and waste generation. Circular Economy (CE) principles can be applied to minimize resource extraction and waste generation in the building industry. However, to implement effective CE strategies, quantification and evaluation of materials accumulated in buildings are required. This study aims to provide accurate data and a detailed analysis of the materials available in the EU27 residential building sector. By elaborating the data provided by the H2020 European projects Hotmaps and AmBIENCe, the different materials used for floors, roofs, walls, windows, and insulation layers in single-family houses, multifamily houses, and apartment blocks in the different construction periods were quantified for each EU27 country. Considering results at the EU27 level, concrete and brick characterize the largest part of the European residential building stock, whereas materials such as wood and different types of rock are used in much more limited amounts. These results form the basis for policymakers to monitor the status of the residential building sector, evaluate the potential of CE policies at a national level, and assess the environmental impact of building practices through lifecycle assessment.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su15118840