Over recent months, much attention has been given to the Energy Efficiency in Buildings Directive (EPBD). Dating back to 2010, this legislation aims mainly to reduce the energy consumption of buildings. The European Commission is due to come with a proposal for the revised Directive this autumn. As a result, many organizations are already outlining their views on which direction this review should take.
According to Habitat for Humanity’s 2015 Housing Review1, the cost of housing places a heavy burden on over 10% of European households. Of this 10%, more than 39% of families are also at risk of poverty. This is further backed by Eurostat figures which note that nearly 10% of EU citizens live in severe “material deprivation” – in new Member States this figure is almost double (18.6%). And it seems that the situation is not improving.
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.
Readers familiar with The Concrete Initiative will know all about concrete’s sustainability benefits in buildings: durability, low environmental impacts, fire safety, to name but a few. Readers may be less aware, however, that all of these advantages have a direct parallel when it comes to using concrete for road pavements.
