2020 Concrete Dialogue

Written by Patricia Moreaux on 30 January 2020.

Invitation Concrete Dialogue 2020 17 March 2020 v3

The Concrete Initiative and The Parliament Magazine are delighted to invite you to the

2020 Concrete Dialogue

A Green Deal for European Cities

How can cities lead the way to a sustainable built environment?

During a lunchtime discussion, European Commission Representatives Fulvia Rafaelli (DG GROW) and Josefina Lindblom (DG ENVI) will present the newly adopted EU Circular Action Plan 2.0 and specifically the measures targeting the construction sector.

In addition, you will hear from spokespeople from the cities of Brussels and Oslo about their respective efforts to create a greener built environment.

A Q&A session will follow, allowing for a wider discussion of the EU’s policy contribution to the sustainable built environment strategies being implemented in cities across Europe.

The policy debate, kindly hosted by Tomislav Sokol MEP, will take place on Tuesday 17 March 2020, from 12.30- 14.30 in the Stanhope Hotel - Rue du Commerce 9 - 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium.

To register your attendance, contact Diane Rolland at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We look forward to welcoming you.

Yours sincerely,

The Parliament Magazine | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Follow the conversation: @Parlimag | @ConcreteDialog |#ConcreteDialogue2020

This event will be covered in a forthcoming issue of the Parliament Magazine. A reporter and photographer will attend, and the event is on the record.

Click here to view our privacy notice for this event.

What can we learn from new trends in the construction sector?

Written by Patricia Moreaux on 07 January 2019.

statistics small Date: 6 February

Time: 10:00 - 13:00

Venue: L42 Business Center: Rue de la Loi 42, 1040 Bruxelles

Registration: r.cracea @cembureau.eu

See the agenda here.

The event was organised as part of the European Commission's EU Industry Days 2019.

To remain competitive while enabling the transition to a low carbon and resources efficient economy, the construction sector is currently evolving its decision-making processes and moving towards digitalisation. A sustainable future is part of the construction industry trends that will continue into 2019.

We will ask advanced contractors about their latest developments and their expectations from suppliers, what new tools engineers and architects are using for design, and how our industry can embrace this new potential to tackle the sector’s main challenges and bring multiple benefits along the entire value chain, as well as for Europe and its citizens.

See the event summary here.

See the speakers presentations here:

Dr ir Marc Ottelé, Heijmans
Lorenzo Orsenigo, ICMQ
Vivian Dorizas, Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE)
Prof. Dr. Robert J. Flatt, Institute for Building Materials, ETH Zurich
Jacky Chi Ho Lau, building SMART Norge – BIM
Luigi Perissich, FEDERCOSTRUZIONI
Jaime Moreno Juez, TECNALIA
Eunan Kelly, CDE Global - (on request due to the weigth of presentation - 500 Mb)

Concrete Dialogue 2018: Pathways towards a carbon-neutral built environment

Written by Patricia Moreaux on 05 October 2018.

Our annual ‘Concrete Dialogue' conference is coming up on Tuesday 20 November, from 16:00 to 18:00 and will take place in the European Parliament. We have partnered with The Parliament Magazine to organise the event and MEP Vladimir Urutchev (EPP, Bulgaria) has kindly accepted to be our host.

Register here

View the online listing here

The European Union has identified the built environment and building sector as the main enablers in the transition towards a resource and carbon efficient Europe, making zero-energy buildings a priority. The key to turn these goals into reality is the availability of reliable and comparable data through the adoption of a life cycle approach to the built environment. Meaning the whole process - from sustainable design, to material efficiency, to recycling of construction and demolition waste - will be at the core of the debate.

There is a wide range of life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies and most construction material sectors are engaging in research on the topic. The conclusions do not always lead to the same solution, with views that might not be easy to reconcile. However, stakeholders do agree that the ultimate policy goal is to create a carbon-neutral, energy-efficient built environment. Therefore, a life cycle assessment only makes sense when applied at building level rather than at product level.

The Concrete Dialogue 2018: Pathways towards a carbon-neutral built environment will address these issues by exploring both a policy and industry perspective. Policymakers and stakeholders from across the construction value chain will explore policies, processes and projects needed to jointly achieve this transition.

Speakers will be announced soon.

The Concrete Initiative wishes to engage with stakeholders on the issue of sustainable construction, and in particular the barriers and solutions to harness its multiple benefits. It examines the economic, social and environmental implications of sustainable construction and the need for a balanced approach among these three pillars.

Concrete Dialogue 2017: Renewing Europe’s infrastructure ( Presentations & Summary)

Written by Ruxandra Cracea on 15 September 2017.

From water supplies to energy production, roads to bridges, infrastructure plays an essential role in our day-to-day lives. Without finding ways to improve it, we will not be able to face future environmental concerns. That is why Concrete Dialogue 2017: Renewing Europe’s infrastructure: needs, challenges and opportunities debated and addressed the infrastructure challenges in Europe and identified sustainable solutions for the future.

Energy storage in buildings – the potential in the Energy Package

Written by Jessica Johnson on 31 August 2017.

Increasing renewable energy uptake will bring the need for greater energy flexibility and storage in order to match supply with demand. What if buildings could play this role, by offering thermal storage capacity that is currently untapped? This event will explore this concept, and make the link between the different elements of the Energy Package, from energy performance of buildings (EPBD) to electricity market design.