Keys to a more sustainable real estate industry

Sustainability is gaining great awareness in our society. A lifestyle that has already fully penetrated the real estate sector and that is gaining more and more presence.

As stated by the General Director of the Green Building Council: “Sustainability has gone from being a demand of a few to a movement of an entire society”.

What is meant by a sustainable real estate industry?

There are many factors that must be taken into account when talking about sustainable housing. Of course, energy efficiency is one of them, but others that affect both buildings and city neighbourhoods also have an influence.

The real estate and construction market is doing its part to move towards a more efficient and sustainable construction model. And it is that we must bear in mind that building is a highly polluting sector for the planet. It is responsible for 40% of energy consumption and 36% of CO2 emissions at a European level.

In order to speak of an increasingly sustainable real estate market, the following factors must be taken into consideration:

1. The circular economy

Adopting greener measures in the construction of new buildings will be key in the short and long term. A way to anticipate the new “green” laws that are to come.

Greatly reducing construction waste is essential. As well as the fact of incorporating materials during construction that can later be reused.

The key will be “build to reuse”. That is, consider buildings as a bank of reusable materials.

2. Carbon footprint reduction

One of the objectives is the need to reduce the carbon footprint. How? Betting on the creation of sustainable buildings, implying on the one hand industrialization – producing the components in the factory and then assembling them on-site – and on the other hand, renewable materials.

• Industrialization: the fact of constructing the components of the building in a factory and then transferring them to the construction site greatly reduces construction times, energy consumption and machinery movements, in addition to improving productivity. The result? Less impact on the environment and a reduced carbon footprint.

• Renewable materials have a low ecological footprint, so their use is essential to reduce CO2 emissions. A great ally is wood. A magnificent insulator that, in addition, allows to subsequently reduce the energy used in heating.

3. Trend towards passive design

The great challenge of the real estate sector is to achieve energy well-being. The passive design trend is a method that aims to achieve natural environmental conditioning.

In other words, ensure that homes and buildings do not have to resort to heating or air conditioning, but are designed in such a way that they can achieve natural acclimatization thanks to the materials, orientation and distribution of spaces.

It is clear that the fight against climate change is a collective commitment, both from companies, as well as from citizens, as well as from institutions. Only by working together will it be possible to increasingly move towards a completely sustainable real estate sector.