The innovative renovation wave in the European Union
In 2021, the European Union has ambitious objectives set to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990, with the ultimate goal of being climate neutral by 2050. Although we already achieved an impressive 24% decline in 2019 compared to 1990 (4% above the set targets), the 2030 forecasts are less optimistic, with only an expected net reduction of 41%.
The EU has'The European Green Deal'introduced to achieve the green transition to 2050, with the central objective of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions. The construction sector, with its material and labour-intensive nature, was responsible for 40% of greenhouse gas emissions, 50% of energy consumption, 1/3 of water consumption and 50% of material flows in 2019. Rethinking traditional construction processes is crucial if we want to reach our goal by 2050.
The renovation of both public and private buildings plays an essential role in reducing emissions and improving energy efficiency in the construction sector, thereby contributing to the continental goal.
Even more striking is the fact that more than 220 million buildings were built before 2001, representing as much as 85% of buildings in the EU. Astonishingly, 85 to 95% of these buildings will still exist by 2050.
Given the major impact of the construction sector and the fact that renovation will be a crucial part of achieving our goal, the challenge in the construction sector lies in these questions: how are we going to renovate all these buildings energetically, with the minimum possible emissions and pollution, in the shortest possible time, without sacrificing the quality of life?
SAM for Sustainable Renovation
At Bao Living, we have the solution: our Smart Adaptable Module (SAM). With SAM, we can support energetic renovations of EU buildings in an innovative way. We efficiently integrate heat pumps and convectors into our designs, creating a heating system with minimal energy consumption at low temperatures. In addition, SAM can be equipped with a demand-driven D ventilation system with heat recovery, reducing heat loss and optimizing indoor air quality.
SAM and circularity
Circularity offers a further solution to minimize emissions and pollution. By meeting the same needs with fewer materials, we achieve CO2 profits in extraction, production, transport and waste treatment. The reuse of materials and buildings plays a crucial role here, because we need fewer new raw materials and materials. Closing the cycle of raw materials and materials reduces total CO2 emissions.
SAM offers a solution that meets all these requirements. Thanks to strategic positioning and patented skirting technology, we can hide all techniques under construction, making grinding in screed and walls unnecessary and leaving less waste at the construction site. This promotes the extension of the lifespan of building structures, a crucial step in minimizing the climate impact.
In addition, SAM is almost completely circular, because SAM can be dismantled 98%. This means that at the end of its life or when repurposed, it can be completely disassembled, with materials specifically reused or recycled correctly.
SAM's modular design allows seamless integration around existing support elements, minimizing adjustments to existing buildings without unnecessary demolition work.
Thanks to SAM's modular design, it can easily be placed around existing support elements, minimizing adjustments to existing buildings and preventing unnecessary breakage.
By furnishing a unit with SAM, you also save on the use of gyproc or concrete interior walls, because our cabinet walls form the separation between the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. This results in less use of materials and raw materials, which drastically reduces pollution. Partitions are thus transformed into storage space.
Prefabrication
How can we achieve all this in the shortest possible time to achieve the goals by 2050? With SAM, we strive for maximum prefabrication. We assemble all the joinery corpus structures in the factory, as well as the electrical boards and wiring harnesses, and as many HVAC components as possible.
SAM comes in handy 60x60cm parts, making transport and installation easy without changing major façade elements. This results in a very fast installation on site, where we go from a shell apartment to a fully furnished home, including all technical facilities, in just 3 days. See here for more information.
Realizing a Sustainable Future with SAM
Building with SAM leads to a CO2 reduction of up to 5.5 tons. In addition, we plant trees for each project to make the installation completely CO2 neutral. In this way, we contribute to the European Green Deal and offer an opportunity to improve efficiency in the construction sector, reduce emissions and promote sustainable construction practices in Europe. With SAM, we are moving towards a greener and more sustainable future for the construction sector.
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