Book release: Building Better – Less – Different: Clean Energy Transition and Digital Transformation
Sustainability is to become the guiding principle of social action and economic activity. At the same time, its ways and means are far from clear. As a holistic praxis, sustainability must combine technical and material as well as social, economic, ecological and also ethical strategies, which have multiple complex interactions and all too often also conflicting goals and priorities. In no other field can these be better observed, addressed and influenced than in architecture and building.
Each volume of “Building Better – Less – Different” details two fundamental areas of sustainability and explores their specific dynamics and interactions. After introductory overviews, innovative methods and current developments are described and analysed in in-depth essays, international case studies and pointed commentaries. The sustainability criteria of efficiency (“better”), sufficiency (“less”) and consistency (“different”) form the framework for each book.
The clean energy transition and digital transformation are essential components of a fundamental shift towards circular construction with significantly lower impacts on the environment and climate. Building design and construction measures become part of a holistic energy concept spanning the entire life cycle. Digital construction technologies offer a means of reinterpreting natural building materials. The mass customization of tailor-made building components minimizes resource consumption. These form the foundations for a profound transformation of the architecture, construction and engineering industries.
Editors: Dirk E. Hebel, Felix Heisel with Andreas Wagner, Moritz Dörstelmann