Online Workshop Session: Sustainable construction & housing

Results of the workshop

Calls to action

• To the government: Improve financial/tax incentives to increase the rate of renovation.

• To house and property owners: Seek innovations to make existing buildings suited for more people.

• To the government: Enhance incentives for house owners to adapt innovative living and building strategies in order to reduce living space.

Presentations Input Session Leaders

• Co-Evolution of Business Strategies and Resource Policies in the Building Industry (Prof. Dr. Susanne Kytzia)

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• Ecological Footprint in the Housing Sector (Prof. Dr. Philippe Thalmann)
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Trade-offs between innovations in the construction and housing industries

Sustainable construction and housing focus on the planning, construction and use of buildings. First results of the NRP 73 research project from Prof. Dr. Susanne Kytzia Co-Evolution of Business Strategies and Resource Policies in the Building Industry show that different policies in waste and resource management, as well as settlement development, have strong effects on the decision-making of the building industry regarding the choice of construction materials. The research project Ecological Footprint in the Housing Sector of Prof. Dr. Philippe Thalmann studies the potential for circularity in the housing sector through integrated modelling of tenants’ behaviour, housing markets and environmental pressures.

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Objectives of the workshop:

• Presentation of research findings

• Discussion of the implications of the research findings for the building industry, owners and tenants

• Exploring the trade-offs between new innovations in the construction industry and the demand for a reduction in the amount of living space per person.

• Formulate three call to actions address them to specific stakeholders

Programme

15:45 | Participants join the online workshop

16:00 | Introduction by the facilitator

16:05 | Breaking the ice

16:15 | Input by the session leaders to set the scene

16:30 | Discussion in breakout rooms. Participants are invited to formulate two calls to action based on the research findings.

17:30 | Fishbowl discussion with the session leaders, experts and participants to validate and prioritize the calls to action and discuss how stakeholders can implement them.

18:00 | End of the session

Session leaders & Experts

Session leaders

• Prof. Dr. Susanne Kytzia, Institute for Construction and Environment, Hochschule für Technik Rapperswil

• Prof. Dr. Philippe Thalmann, Instut of Architecture and Cities, EPF Lausanne

Experts

• Katharina Schneider-Roos, Senior Advisor GIB Foundation

Co- Organizer