Refuse, Reduce, Re-use, Recycle, Rot

The building sector is one of the largest CO2 emitters of our time. Through the production and operation of our built environment, it is responsible for almost 40% of the greenhouse gases that are harmful to the climate. In recent decades, the ecological focus has mostly been on energy efficiency in the use phase. The passive house was invented, the insulation thicknesses were increased and further energy saving measures were sought, found and often immediately destroyed by increased consumption elsewhere.

The use of resources for the production, transport and disposal of our building materials often went unnoticed - at least in the majority of building production, which continues to use large quantities of energy-intensive and inseparable building materials. Around 50% of gray emissions are now created before moving in. Now the before (production) and the after (demolition or renovation) are also receiving more attention. Aspects of the circular economy are being intensively discussed in the construction industry. Re-use and optimized recycling are being promoted, and natural, decomposable building materials are becoming more important. Last but not least, the realization is gaining ground that sufficiency and better use of existing buildings - in the best case scenario we only renovate and only do little or nothing new - also have to play an important role.

The exhibition presents various approaches to climate-friendly construction and shows their interactions, challenges and limits.