A Carbon-Neutral Architecture Goes Beyond Construction Materials: Planning, Logistics and Context

The discussion of carbon neutrality in architecture should not be based only on local materials and new technologies, as there are many aspects that affect the construction production chain. From design to construction, without losing sight of the context and the economic system of our society, the construction industry is responsible for a considerable part of the energy consumed in the world. To interfere in this reality, it is necessary to broaden the fronts of action, questioning the place of construction in our society.

The concept of carbon neutrality concerns the cancellation or denial of the amount of greenhouse gases produced by human activities, the reduction of existing carbon dioxide emissions and the application of methods to absorb these gases into the atmosphere. In recent years, this concept has been incorporated into some architectural practices, mainly large corporate projects, located mainly in the richest cities in the world, which has generated a development of technologies, tools and knowledge that highlights carbon neutral architecture.

Despite being a broad debate, carbon neutral architecture tends to emerge primarily from two fronts in the discussion of architectural practice: design strategies and construction technology. Try to reduce the impact on the environment by minimizing the consumption of the surrounding environment and generating as little waste as possible. To this end, designs usually provide strategies that address this dynamic, for example by reducing the need for air conditioning through passive design solutions, which use natural cross ventilation and thermal inertia of materials. In addition to passive design strategies, technologies such as energy self-sufficiency, which consists in producing what is necessary from wind or solar equipment, or even the retention and use of rainwater, are also widely explored in projects aimed at carbon neutrality.

While these strategies focus on the maintenance and useful life of buildings, it is important to note that of 40% of the world's building-related energy consumption, 80% is in the processing, production and transportation of building materials. This means that, in addition to the reuse of resources and energy optimization, an important neutral architecture strategy consists in the mapping of the building production chain, with a view to the emission of greenhouse gases and in the proposal of alternative solutions within the scales. Possible, both from the change in the construction technique, and from the priority of local materials and vernacular techniques, or from possible local consumption, seeking suppliers and workers from locations close to the territory, saving circuits with fossil fuels, for example.

It is important to emphasize, however, that construction is one of the main economic activities in the world, plays an important role in the employment of people and the circulation of resources and has repeatedly represented an important ally in economic recovery amidst crises. At the same time, after the industrial revolution, construction has implemented a logic that has transformed the entire production chain in the search for efficiency and speed, not only on construction sites, but also in the way of extracting and transforming materials. natural. to the detriment of the environment and work relationships. So it is increasingly clear that we have to rethink the model we have used up to now with a view to improving the environmental efficiency of the construction process more and more.

Therefore, on the one hand, the key elements of neutral architecture are in the design and planning of the construction activity, trying to use solutions in its production chain that seek low energy consumption and low greenhouse gas emissions, considering all phases, from 'extraction of the raw material up to the conclusion of the architectural work. It is clear that construction techniques based on construction simplification have on average a higher environmental impact than customized solutions for the single project.

Therefore, discussions on carbon neutral architecture must incorporate, in addition to technological and design themes, debates on the civil construction production chain and what are the attentions and best practices to be put in place to reduce more and more the environmental impact of building activity.