Futurist Keynote Speaker: Posts, Slides, Videos -
Future of Real Estate, Construction - keynotes
It’s not enough to create smart buildings that are ultra-efficient to heat or cool. We also need to focus on how long those buildings will actually last. My own home was built in 1842 and I expect will still be lived in by the year 2300. But I don’t know many commercial tower blocks or factories being built today that have a life-expectancy of more than 50 years - and many buildings being demolished today are less than 40 years old.
This really matters, because 30% of the entire energy consumed in the average life cycle of an office tower is the energy consumed in building it, and 10% more can be consumed in demolition.
We need to see far more life-enhancing, iconic structures that people will love and enjoy using for generations to come. That means regulators, government planners, architects and project owners all working together with longer term vision. As part of this, we will also see rapid growth in repurposing older buildings, refitting their interiors, extending their useful lives.
Secondly, we talk a lot about recycling as being good for the environment. And we will see massive growth in recycling of building waste. But we can go a lot further.
The truth is that most recycling in our communities is down-cycling. For example, plastic drinking bottles converted into lower-grade insulation products. But closed-cycling is where those same plastic drinking bottles are collected, melted down and recast into new plastic bottles.
Can we do similar things in construction? Yes indeed....
Read more: Future of the Construction Industry, Smart Buildings, Smart Cities, infrastructure, offsite-manufacturing, modular buildings, carbon neutral homes and offices, green tech innovation - and Life beyond COVID-19