Building for the Future

For a number of years now, many people in the Netherlands have not had access to suitable, affordable housing. The government has therefore set itself the target of building 100,000 new homes per year over the coming period. In this advisory report, the Council for the Environment and Infrastructure (Rli) looks at how this target can be combined with reducing carbon emissions in the construction sector. 

The Rli has identified five strategies for the transition to sustainable construction:

• Using fewer building materials, for example by choosing to subdivide or add storeys to existing homes or build smaller homes.
• Using fewer and/or lighter technical installations to heat, cool and ventilate a home (‘low-installation building’).
• Reusing building materials and using recycled raw materials, for example by using all or parts of concrete slabs or steel beams from a demolished building in a new building or by recovering raw materials from a demolished building for high-quality reuse.
• Using bio-based building materials, such as materials made from wood or fibre plants.
• Using low-carbon versions of conventional building materials, such as more sustainable concrete or ‘green’ steel.