Ecologies of Tectonics

Three Statements About Contemporary Tectonics We see increased attention to how buildings are built and expected to live over time, including the entire life cycle of the building and the materials. This tendency is particularly evident in countries interested in sustainable growth based on a circular economy, but also in countries with population growth and fast-rising economies that result in rapid urban development and high demands for natural resources.1 These topics are equally addressed at the global policy level, such as the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). In their Global Status Reports for Building and Construction, there have been growing concerns regarding material scarcity, reduction of carbon emissions generated by construction, and overall environmental problems related to buildings.2 The latter environmental problems call for robust strategies to handle the pollutive effects of construction and the waste from demolished buildings that point to the problem of how to reuse salvaged construction materials for new purposes. These challenging issues are reinforced by the present construction industry primarily based on a linear understanding of material consumption. It depends on construction methods that integrate efficient and highly processed materials such as concrete, steel, and glass, which depend on significant amounts of nonregenerative raw materials like sand, natural stone, metals, and other critical resources such as fossil fuels and large amounts of water.3 Nevertheless, new buildings and cities are being built worldwide at a relentless speed, as if none of these severe issues related to contemporary construction that will affect human civilization are seen as threats worth considering or acting upon Anne Beim Royal Danish Academy Ecologies of Tectonics