In March 2015, the Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE) published a study covering three important issues of relevance to buildings, namely indoor air quality, thermal comfort and daylight.  On this basis, the report analyses regulations in eight EU Member States (Belgium [Brussels region], Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Sweden and the UK [England & Wales]).

According to news outlet Euractiv, the European Commission plans to tackle healthier indoor environments as part of the energy performance of buildings legislation.  Could this be a move towards taking a much broader approach to sustainable construction?  I, for one, certainly hope so. 

The latest edition of the Concrete Dialogue is now available!

One of the challenges which we face today in terms of renewable energy is the mismatch between when this energy is generated and when it is needed. In order to make the most of the energy generated by renewables, such as wind and solar, flexibility is needed in the electricity grid. Heavyweight buildings can provide this flexibility by allowing for consumer energy demand to be shifted in time by using structural thermal energy storage.

Did you know that concrete can store energy and that, later on, this energy is then released? This effect, which is due to the high ‘thermal mass’ of concrete, makes buildings more energy efficient, lowers CO₂ emissions, and improves wellbeing and comfort.