Material Crisis
A System under Pressure
The construction sector is among the most resource- and emission-intensive industries worldwide. It accounts for around 38% of global CO₂ emissions and consumes roughly half of all raw materials extracted globally. Large quantities of primary resources are extracted, processed using significant amounts of energy, and discarded after comparatively short periods of use. This linear system is increasingly reaching its limits.
Conventional construction methods are not only energy-intensive, but often designed for limited life cycles. Complex layered assemblies may perform technically, yet they are difficult to dismantle or repair without replacing entire components. At the same time, synthetic materials and surface treatments can negatively affect indoor air quality during the use phase. The result is buildings that are neither materially nor structurally oriented toward durability, health, or circularity.
Economically, this model is becoming increasingly fragile. Dependence on global supply chains, rising energy prices, and volatile raw material markets continue to drive construction costs, with tangible consequences for developers and occupants alike. The widespread perception that ecological construction is inherently more expensive largely reflects a temporary snapshot. Price differences today are often the result of missing economies of scale in production. At the same time, energy-intensive manufacturing, international transport, and resource scarcity are structurally becoming more expensive. The economic conditions are shifting.
If construction is to remain affordable in the long term, it requires materials that systematically respond to these developments: circular instead of linear, durable and repairable instead of bonded and short-lived, regional and low-energy in production instead of internationally dependent and emission-intensive.
