Building Better - Less - Different: Clean Energy Transition and Digital Transformation

Sustainability
is to become the guiding principle of social action and economic
activity. At the same time, its ways and means are far from clear. As a
holistic praxis, sustainability must combine technical and material as
well as social, economic, ecological and also ethical strategies, which
have multiple complex interactions and all too often also conflicting
goals and priorities. In no other field can these be better observed,
addressed and influenced than in architecture and building.

"Building Better - Less - Different"

Each volume of "Building Better - Less - Different" details two
fundamental areas of sustainability and explores their specific dynamics
and interactions. After introductory overviews, innovative methods and
current developments are described and analysed in in-depth essays,
international case studies and pointed commentaries. The sustainability
criteria of efficiency ("better"), sufficiency ("less") and consistency
("different") form the framework for each book.

What the press say about the first volume
"Circular Construction and Circular Economy"

"The articles, case studies and commentaries in this book make a major
contribution to advancing the current discourse on implementing
circular-based economic models in the building sector." Hessian Chamber of Architects, book reviews

"To think of tomorrow when building today is the core message that Dirk
E. Hebel and Felix Heisel want to convey to their readers. ... And they
also show us how: with the help of relevant examples, grouped under the
headings 'better', 'less' and 'different', they demonstrate concrete
applications and argue that circular construction can also benefit the
construction industry..." architektur aktuell

Clean energy transition

It has long been common knowledge that energy and sustainability are
closely interlinked. And yet we are witnessing a profound shift in the
sector.

While the earlier focus was on improving energy
efficiency and increasing the proportion of renewable energy in
buildings, current energy conservation policies are supporting a
broader, more holistic view. This encompasses integral approaches in
which building design and construction measures form part of the energy
concept from the outset, as well as accounting for grey energy in
building materials and a holistic evaluation of buildings over their
entire life cycle.

For the energy-intensive and
emission-producing building sector, climate change presents an even
greater challenge than conserving resources. How can we contribute to a
shift in heating strategies and employ new technologies to achieve
climate-neutral heating? How can we respond to rising temperatures and
the risk of increased energy consumption for cooling? Can low-tech
concepts help to reduce the environmental impact of buildings over their
life cycle? Shouldn't we take greater account of the users of
buildings, and do we need completely different energy supply strategies?

Digital Transformation

At a time of
natural ubiquity of digital tools, widely adopted to streamline project
delivery in architecture, the foundations have been laid for a profound
transformation of the construction industry to address the climate
crisis.

Digital architectural design and construction methods
can be used as enabling technologies for a fundamental change towards a
circular construction approach with significantly reduced ecological and
climate impact.

This approach comprises a digital
reinterpretation of natural building materials through digital
construction technologies. Digital deconstruction and reuse strategies
can transform the existing building stock into resources for the future.
Mass customization of tailor-made building components minimizes
resource consumption. Architects, in their emerging role as
interdisciplinary interface and digital master builders, reunite design
and making through digital craft. Finally, the book provides a glimpse
into the potential future of construction, which might be characterized
by fundamentally different concepts of design and materialization of our
built environment, challenging current paradigms within our discipline.

• Architecture's contribution to sustainable development
• Professional competence in designing and acting in complex contexts
• Systematic, applicable, up-to-date

Felix Heisel
Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, Cornell University
Dirk E. Hebel
Professor of Sustainable Construction, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT
Andreas Wagner
Professor of Building Physics and Technical Building Services, KIT
Moritz Dörstelmann
Professor of Digital Design and Fabrication, KIT