The Transition To Sustainable Construction

May 16, 2023

 

Climate change and the race to net zero are arguably the most significant challenges facing the construction industry. The building and construction industry is responsible for 40% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions.

Global Property Guide, a real estate data curation portal, found real estate prices in Egypt rose by nearly 58% between January 2022 and 2023. A significant portion of those increases is due to more expensive building materials.

Published research from the Faculty of Engineering in Mansoura estimated 60% to 70% of the cost of low-income housing, which the developers usually sell at near-zero profit margins, is down to “engineering design and construction material.”

Switching to sustainable construction materials that are locally sourced coupled with sustainable manufacturing practices could prove beneficial.

“Sustainable materials … ensure the availability of resources for future generations by lessening the number of materials we use in our daily lives,” the report said, leading to more efficient use of energy, water, and materials and reducing the volume of toxic waste, and can provide economic benefits.