Sustainable construction and the structural engineer's role in the green transition
Reuse, CO2 accounts and LEAN – how the climate agenda affects your trade
Concrete layer and brick layer has always been about using large quantities of material: earth, gravel, concrete and stone. These days, the question of how that material is used and recycled is becoming just as central to the trade as the manual work itself.
§Construction's climate footprint
According to several industry analyses, construction and civil engineering account for a significant part of Denmark's total CO2 emissions when counting the construction process, materials and building operations. This has led to political requirements for climate calculations — life cycle assessments (LCA) — and limits on how much CO2 new buildings may emit per square metre. Although most of these requirements are directed at clients and consultants, you experience them in practice as a carpenter when material selection and disposal become part of the task.
§Reuse and life cycle perspective in practice
The education's competency goals are clear on this point: you must be able to participate in discussions about and execute sustainable construction that includes choice of structures, building materials, maintenance and operation, as well as the potential for reuse and recycling from a lifecycle perspective. In practice this means, for example, that excavated granite from an old pavement is reused instead of being taken to a landfill, that demolished concrete is crushed and used as a base layer, and that construction waste is sorted so as much as possible can be reused.
- 01Reuse of excavated natural stone instead of new purchase
- 02Crushed concrete as bearing layer instead of virgin gravel
- 03Correct sorting of demolition waste on site
- 04Material choice that considers maintenance and lifespan
§LEAN and lean construction
Another part of the sustainable transition is about wasting less time and fewer materials through better planning. The education introduces you to forms of cooperation in the company and on the construction site, including LEAN and streamlined construction — principles that are about planning the work so that the team does not wait unnecessarily for materials or machines, and so the processes flow better together across trades.
§Beware of greenwashing
The more sustainability fills construction, the more important it becomes to be able to see through when something is marketed as green without really being it. The learning objectives specifically mention knowledge of the concept of greenwashing – that is, when a product or solution is presented as more climate-friendly than it really is. As a professional it is your job to be able to tell the difference between real sustainability and good marketing.
| Concept | Meaning |
|---|---|
| LCA (life cycle assessment) | Calculation of a building's total climate and environmental impact |
| CO2 account | Statement of emissions from materials, transport and operation |
| Greenwashing — and how to avoid it | When something is presented as more sustainable than it really is |
| Circular construction | Materials are reused and recycled rather than discarded |
§The industry's own goals
It is not only the legislation that puts pressure on. The construction industry's own organizations have drawn up concrete climate partnerships and recommendations that point toward significant reductions in CO2 emissions from the construction and engineering sectors in the coming years, and certification schemes such as DGNB are increasingly used to document that a building really meets sustainable requirements — not just claims it. For you as a structure worker, this means that documentation of material choice, reuse and proper waste management increasingly becomes part of the quality you deliver, on par with the craftsmanship itself.
For you as a student or apprentice it means sustainability is not just another subject on the school schedule but part of the professionalism you build up throughout the entire education — from the first discussion of material choice in the basic course to the concrete reuse solutions you are faced with on site as a journeyman. The climate policy goals for construction extend all the way to 2030 and beyond which means the requirements for documented sustainability will likely only become tighter throughout your career — not milder.
“The most sustainable stone is often the one already in the ground — you just have to lay it right again.”