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For hundreds of years we’ve built our cottages out of wood, our cities and our cathedrals out of stone. And then, in the 20th century, came concrete. Concrete has opened up unprecedented architectural perspectives. It can be used to build spirals, arches, bridges and monumental structures such as dams.
Enthusiasm for this material has become so great that today 80% of the world’s new buildings are made of concrete.
But concrete also has a dark side: its environmental cost. The manufacture of concrete emits a lot of CO2. So much so, in fact, that if concrete production were a state, it would be the world’s third biggest polluter after China and the United States. Not to mention the disappearance of sand, which is also used in its manufacture.
So how can we get back to more sustainable construction? How can we choose other materials for our schools, churches and homes?
In this podcast we explore alternatives to concrete and imagine the construction of tomorrow with
- Rodrigo Fernandez co-founder of terrabloc
- Alia Bengana, architect and lecturer at EPFL
Interview: Chantal Peyer
Director: Sébastien Sommer
Terrabloc in Allaman – a pictorial tour
References
– terrabloc company
– la maison nature, an association promoting ecology in construction
– Meige construction, sustainable materials
– Chair of sustainable construction, ETH Zurich
Further information
– Concrete: investigation in quicksand, comic strip. Alia Bengana, Claude Baechtold and Antoine Maréchal, 2024.
– Law on materials, debated in Geneva(Law PL12869)
Support
The podcast “2040, j’y vais!” is made possible thanks to the support of the Giovannini Foundation, the canton of Vaud, the city of Fribourg, the city of Meyrin, EPER, One Planet Lab and Services Industriels de Genève.
