How we build our buildings European Union will change dramatically in the coming years. The Green Deal was the impetus for a number of legislative changes aimed not only at reducing the energy consumption of buildings, but in general. their carbon footprint, from the choice of materials and type of construction to the service life and end-of-life of the building. And while the countries of the European North are already taking decisive steps in this direction, in Greece the discussion is just beginning, with only 70 certified green buildings across the country.

Greek Sustainable Building Council (SBC Greece, an independent non-profit organization) organized a seminar yesterday on developments in this growing sector with the aim of sparking public discussion. “Buildings in the EU they produce 36% of CO2 emissions, are responsible for 40% of energy consumption and 50% of material extraction. For this reason, the building construction sector was included in the Green Deal and development has been continuous since then,” said Audrey Nugent, director of the company. World Council for Sustainable Building. “The challenge in Europe is twofold, because in addition to new construction there is a very large stock of old buildings. In order to meet European climate targets, we must accelerate the pace of renovation as well as develop a policy on a building’s footprint throughout its life cycle (the building’s carbon life). As Ms. Nugent noted, legislative changes at the European level will be tumultuous in 2023, as the Commission simultaneously promotes various policies, such as the revision of the directives on energy efficiency in buildings and construction waste management, the European taxonomy (EU Taxonomy), the new regulation on industrial products.

“In the EU, ‘pivoting’ towards sustainable building construction is an absolute priority,” says Alexandros Athanassoulas, President of the Hellenic Sustainable Building Council. “In Greece, we have made progress in this direction, ie. thanks to our intervention, a surcharge of 10% of the construction coefficient of buildings that will be certified in accordance with international standards has been included in the new building regulations. However, in general, state intervention is aimed only at the energy modernization of buildings. As a result, we are far behind – in 2021, only 70 buildings in Greece were certified as sustainable by Leed or Breeam standards. The changes concern not only the institutional part, but also the mentality and should come as a requirement not only for developers and buyers (because they will have access to financing), but also for users, that is, society.”

According to Pantelis Levantis, a member of the board of directors of the same organization, it is a myth that sustainable buildings cost more. “In the life cycle of a building, this is the wisest choice. These are more technically sound buildings than conventional ones, which save energy, have fewer emissions and offer better conditions for their users.”