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© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy consumption in the building sector requires not only improving the energy efficiency of buildings but also minimising material requirements, embodied emissions, and waste generation. Circular Economy (CE) principles can be applied to minimize resource extraction and waste generation in the building industry. However, to implement effective CE strategies, quantification and evaluation of materials accumulated in buildings are required. This study aims to provide accurate data and a detailed analysis of the materials available in the EU27 residential building sector. By elaborating the data provided by the H2020 European projects Hotmaps and AmBIENCe, the different materials used for floors, roofs, walls, windows, and insulation layers in single-family houses, multifamily houses, and apartment blocks in the different construction periods were quantified for each EU27 country. Considering results at the EU27 level, concrete and brick characterize the largest part of the European residential building stock, whereas materials such as wood and different types of rock are used in much more limited amounts. These results form the basis for policymakers to monitor the status of the residential building sector, evaluate the potential of CE policies at a national level, and assess the environmental impact of building practices through lifecycle assessment.

Details

Title
Assessment of Building Materials in the European Residential Building Stock: An Analysis at EU27 Level
Author
Claudio Zandonella Callegher  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Grazieschi, Gianluca  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Wilczynski, Eric  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Ulrich Filippi Oberegger  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Pezzutto, Simon  VIAFID ORCID Logo 
First page
8840
Publication year
2023
Publication date
2023
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
20711050
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2824059932
Copyright
© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.