The net zero as a target: examples for building in line with the reduce-reuse-recycle principle

The building sector is currently facing an unprecedented challenge: How can we drastically reduce emissions of climate-damaging greenhouse gases and still meet the growing global demand for a built environment? It is certain that sustainability can only be achieved through a holistic architectural approach. Just as important as taking into account operational emissions are the emissions generated during construction itself. After all, the amount of these embodied emissions produced by 2050 is crucial to achieving the United Nations' climate goals. The three R's of "Reduce - Reuse - Recycle" are essential for the building industry to be able to meet these objectives. In the following, projects are presented that are guided by these three R's and successfully demonstrate how innovative approaches and concepts can drive the change to net-zero. Among these are the roof of the Olympic Stadium in Munich as a pioneering model for all light-weight structures, the hanging timber canopy for the 2024 Olympic Aquatics Center in Paris as an example of materials-based design, the free-form steel and glass domes of the Moynihan Train Hall in New York City, as well as the modular container stadium serving as examples for preserving and extending the life cycle of structures or entire building components, the City of Dream Pavilion "Cast & Place" made of recycled aluminum, and the youth facility Betonoase in Berlin, whose exterior walls and porches are made of the particularly recycling-friendly infra-light concrete (ILC).