Wood4Bauhaus Alliance welcomes the European Parliament’s Report on the New European Bauhaus

Today’s adoption by the European Parliament of their Report on the New European Bauhaus is a welcome move. The Report is the work of the ITRE and CULT committees via the rapporteurs Christian Ehler MEP and Marcos Ros Sempere MEP.

The Wood4Bauhaus Alliance is especially pleased with paragraph 22 on page 12 which reads:  “Stresses the importance of transforming, upgrading and retrofitting the existing building stock, including poorly planned and constructed buildings erected by totalitarian regimes, of applying nature-based solutions such as wood and of reducing waste and increasing durability, re-usability and circularity in the built environment; insists that this should include favouring renovation and adaptive re-use over demolition and new builds, as appropriate, removing barriers related to the handling and transport of waste as well as raising people’s awareness about embodied and stored carbon in materials to enable them to make informed choices”.

In addition, the Wood4Bauhaus Alliance is pleased to see that the Members of the European Parliament recognise once again the climate benefits of building and renovating with wood. The choices that we make when we choose a material have a direct impact on the climate as their production is an important source of greenhouse gases (GHGs).

Construction accounts for 40 per cent of the GHG emissions from global materials production in terms of material use with a climate impact. Changes in the design, construction, maintenance and demolition of buildings can reduce the amount or carbon intensity of construction materials required, decrease the energy used during a building’s operation, extend a building’s lifetime and make materials and components available for reuse or recycling. There is significant potential to reduce emissions through substitution of materials with wood and wood fibre. Plant-based materials tend to cause less CO2 in their production and store carbon during their use.

In line with the European Parliament, the Wood4Bauhaus Alliance supports the call of the Parliament to the Commission and the Member States to connect the New European Bauhaus to the Renovation Wave. Renovations that substantially reduce energy use and GHG emissions in buildings while improving comfort for their occupants must be prioritised.

To this end research should be encouraged into green buildings and green materials and techniques that contribute towards sustainable construction and that also bring other benefits to building owners and users. The Wood4Bauhaus Alliance wants to contribute towards lower development costs, lower operating costs, healthier indoor environment quality, improved comfort and enhanced durability.

Finally, the Wood4Bauhaus Alliance is also pleased to see that the Members of the European Parliament recognise the importance of investing in skills and education of employees, apprentices and students (Point 24, page 12). The New European Bauhaus Initiative can only grow and expand when employees have up to date and modern skills and qualifications – starting from quality education in vocational and company-based training as well as higher education.

Read and downlaod the full European Parliament report here.

For further information and comment contact:
Paul Brannen +44 787 856 5406
Uwe Kies +32 472 62 60 43, or per e-Mail info@wood4bauhaus.eu

>>> Read “Wood4Bauhaus represented at Bauhaus Earth conference in Vatican