we are facing a phenomenal demographic change with many consequences. With 15 billion more inhabitants in 2050 and an understandable demand for more comfort from a great part of the emerging countries, the urgency to embark on the path of “sustainable development” has become absolute and obvious to all.
However, to overcome this apparent contradiction (between growth and environmental protection), we must consider moving as quickly as possible to a fundamentally different development model. This requires, first of all, a drastic reduction in our dependence on polluting energies (oil, gas, and coal), as well as a massive reduction in our consumption of primary resources.
As I became interested in the subject of ecology, I realized how much the construction sector was a big consumer of natural resources. We are finally facing a major part of our economy which carries an environmental impact impossible to sustain shortly… Of course, I was not the only one coming to this observation. Many engineers or architects were already working on these subjects, but the question kept spinning in my head.