Brick Award 24: How architecture contributes to a sustainable future

EQS-News: Wienerberger AG / Key word(s): Miscellaneous
Brick Award 24: How architecture contributes to a sustainable future

07.06.2024 / 11:00 CET/CEST
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Brick Award 24: How architecture contributes to a sustainable future

  * International experts in architecture discussed solutions for
    sustainable and affordable construction at Brick Award event

  * Resource management, more attractive public spaces and shared
    infrastructure as key components for more sustainable and affordable
    construction

Vienna, 7 June, 2024 - Following the award ceremony of this year's Brick
Award, an international biannual prize for innovation and excellence in
brick architecture created by wienerberger in 2004, a panel discussion
between international pioneers in architecture took place. Under the motto
'Building Tomorrow: Balancing Sustainability and Affordability in
Architecture', wienerberger CEO Heimo Scheuch sat down with Brick Award
winner Tom McGlynn, nominee Renske van der Stoep, and jury member Ingrid van
der Heijden, as well as Jens Linnet, speaker at the Brick Award symposium
later that day.

Acknowledging that the ecological transformation is the defining challenge
of our time, Heimo Scheuch pointed out: 'In order to achieve a sustainable
future for coming generations, we must reach the goals lined out in the
European Green Deal, chief among them climate neutrality until 2050.
Architects are in a unique position to support this transition. The
construction sector accounts for over one third of all energy use and almost
40 percent of CO2 emissions. These emissions can be brought down by
innovative construction methods, as pioneering architects around the globe
continue to demonstrate. Because outstanding architects are, at their core,
master problem-solvers.'

Re-use and better cities for sustainable housing

Jens Linnet, Brick Award symposium speaker and co-founder of the Danish
design studio BOGL, added: 'By being more aware of the entire production
chain and the materials we choose for our projects, we can reduce costs and
create more sustainable projects while still prioritizing quality and
function.' He explained that in their construction projects, BOGL focuses on
using pre-existing natural assets such as trees and on reusing or upcycling
materials. Jens Linnet also emphasized that public spaces need to change in
order to allow people to reduce the size and environmental footprint of
their housing: 'We need to be braver within city planning and mobility and
create attractive cities so that we are willing to live in smaller homes.'

The positive impact of reusing buildings was also underscored by Ingrid van
der Heijden, founding partner of CIVIC Architects in Amsterdam and part of
this year's Brick Award jury: 'By prioritizing the reuse of buildings over
demolition, materials and the embodied carbon they contain are kept in use
for longer. It's a sustainable and common strategy in both heritage and
retrofitted buildings', said Ingrid van der Heijden. She promoted an
'approach that radically embraces the existing'.

Her compatriot Renske van der Stoep, nominee for this year's award and
founder of the Dutch studio Roffaa, added that in her experience, a key
factor for implementing new concepts in construction is open communication
with the people who will occupy the buildings. 'We are now increasingly
working directly with the end users, where we establish a client
association. This allows us to make much more targeted sustainable choices,
the process becomes more compact, and the project more affordable.' This
point was also taken up by Tom McGlynn of this year's winning studio Níall
McLaughlin Architects from the United Kingdom, who said: 'Architects must
learn to listen before talking. We can learn from locals to better
understand what is needed for a particular place, culture, climate and
community, both in design and construction terms.'

Affordable construction through material management and shared
infrastructure

Apart from sustainability, the discussion also moved towards the challenge
of creating affordable spaces, which has only gotten more urgent as the cost
of living increased around the world during the last two years. 'In general,
I see this as a crucial task for today's architects. The demand for
affordable housing is increasing significantly, and this is becoming an
essential social question of our time. We must be able to create
comfortable, healthy, and affordable spaces for people around the globe. It
is the foundation for coming generations to build a future for themselves',
said Heimo Scheuch.

Ingrid van der Heijden added: 'Architects have an important role as a
connector in the process of linking affordability to sustainability while
maintaining high ambitions on quality', pointing out in particular the local
sourcing of materials to lower construction costs. Renske van der Stoep also
emphasized the importance of 'managing materials better' and designing
construction projects based on their availability.

Tom McGlynn proposed that economies of scale could help make housing more
affordable. In the case of construction, that could mean building bigger
infrastructure that can be used by several inhabitants at once. 'For
example, implementing ground source heating across a housing development is
much more feasible than for a single family home', said McGlynn.

These and other innovative solutions require a certain mindset, added Jens
Linnet. 'Creating innovative and sustainable designs often means working
with projects and solutions that have not been seen before', meaning that
both clients and architects needed to be 'brave'. However, he underscored
the great opportunities that lie in this shift towards new ways of thinking
and designing: 'I believe that if we succeed in doing this, we are heading
for a better future all together.'

wienerberger
wienerberger is a leading international provider of innovative, ecological
solutions for the entire building envelope, in the fields of new buildings
and renovations, as well as infrastructure in water and energy management.
With more than 20,000 employees worldwide, wienerberger's solutions enable
energy-efficient, healthy, climate-friendly, and affordable living.
wienerberger is the world's largest producer of bricks and the market leader
in clay roof tiles in Europe as well as concrete pavers in Eastern Europe.
In pipe systems (ceramic and plastic pipes), the company is one of the
leading suppliers in Europe. By acquiring Meridian Brick, wienerberger
further strengthened its position as a leading supplier of facade products
in North America. With its more than 200 production sites, wienerberger
generated revenues of approx. EUR 4.2 billion and an operating EBITDA of EUR 811
million in 2023.

For further information, please contact:
Claudia Hajdinyak, Head of Corporate Communications Wienerberger AG
t +43 664 828 31 83 | claudia.hajdinyak@wienerberger.com


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07.06.2024 CET/CEST This Corporate News was distributed by EQS Group AG.
www.eqs.com

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   Language:       English
   Company:        Wienerberger AG
                   Wienerbergerplatz 1
                   1100 Wien
                   Austria
   Phone:          +43 1 60 192-0
   Fax:            +43 1 60 192-10159
   E-mail:         investor@wienerberger.com
   Internet:       www.wienerberger.com
   ISIN:           AT0000831706
   Listed:         Vienna Stock Exchange (Official Market)
   EQS News ID:    1918881

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1918881 07.06.2024 CET/CEST