SOCOTEC participates in the World Architecture Congress

The challenge of sustainable construction

To begin, Martí Riera presented a general framework on the importance of the reuse of materials in the construction sector:

• 39% of global CO2 emissions are related to the building sector
• The mass of anthropogenic materials, since 2020, is higher than biomass (the natural living mass of planet earth)
• The construction sector in Europe generates a material flow of 642 million tonnes per year, produces 450 million tonnes of waste per year and the reuse rate is less than 2%

The debate began with a solid invitation: to move from "building with what we want" to "building with what we have".

European Avant-Garde in Material Reuse

To begin, Martí Riera presented a general framework on the importance of the reuse of materials in the construction sector:

• 39% of global CO2 emissions are related to the building sector
• The mass of anthropogenic materials, since 2020, is higher than biomass (the natural living mass of planet earth)
• The construction sector in Europe generates a material flow of 642 million tonnes per year, produces 450 million tonnes of waste per year and the reuse rate is less than 2%

The debate began with a solid invitation: to move from "building with what we want" to "building with what we have".

Conclusions of the panel

Among the agreements and harmonies of the panel, the following stand out:

• The challenge is not the lack of materials, but the absence of systems that facilitate their reuse at the territorial and institutional level.
• The scales of action are multiple and diverse, from the individual building to the management of entire real estate portfolios, including territorial strategies.
• For rehabilitation to be a habit and not an exception, incentives and regulations are needed: tax reductions on reused materials, taxes on waste, mandatory pre-demolition audits, mechanisms that have been relevant in countries such as France and the United Kingdom.

SOCOTEC: committed to circular construction

Pre-Deconstruction Audits are a key tool for transforming waste into resources before demolishing or rehabilitation.

At SOCOTEC we accompany our customers in the transition to a more circular and sustainable construction. As SOCOTEC's Director of Sustainability, Martí Riera, explains, strategies such as Pre-Deconstruction Audits "contribute to reducing waste generation today and reducing waste generation tomorrow".