According to a recent NEW LIFE survey, environmental protection, climate protection and sustainability are of central importance to architects and urban planners. Buildings, squares and streets of the future that are worth living in consume less energy, make an active contribution to environmental protection and help reduce waste and CO2-emissions.
The use of climate-friendly building materials and recycled materials plays a decisive role in the sustainable realisation of new urban development projects. More than 80 per cent of those surveyed have already used recycled products - predominantly for paths, terraces, covers and safety surfaces in children's playgrounds. Cost-effectiveness is also a top priority in sustainable urban development projects. We have summarised the most important results of the survey in a green paper.
For more than 87 per cent of the 101 architects and urban planners surveyed, sustainability has become increasingly important in urban development. This primarily refers to climate-friendly planning and development, greater consideration of climate resilience and building with recycled products and/or natural materials. Around 75 per cent of participants consider the use of recycled products to be important or very important. Another important future aspect for urban planners is the increased greening of roofs and façades, with positive effects on the climate, air quality and species protection.
The more recycled products are used in architecture and urban development, the better it is for the climate, people and the environment. This is because their use helps to keep valuable raw materials in circulation, conserve natural resources, reduce CO2 emissions, avoid waste and optimise the eco-balance of construction projects. More than 80 percent of the architects and urban planners surveyed have already (at least occasionally) used sustainable recycled products (e.g. from tyre rubber granulate) in the realisation of projects.
Circular Economy Act promotes the use of sustainable recycling products
According to Section 45 of the Closed Substance Cycle Waste Management Act (KrWG), federal authorities are obliged, when procuring or using materials and consumer goods, in construction projects and other contracts, to give preference to products that are
- have been manufactured using production processes that conserve raw materials, energy, water, pollutants or waste,
- have been produced by preparing for reuse or by recycling waste, in particular by using recycled materials, or from renewable raw materials,
- are characterised by durability, ease of repair, reusability and recyclability
- or lead to less or less polluting waste compared to other products or are better suited to environmentally sound waste management.
Customised design options and durability particularly in demand
When selecting suitable products, building materials and materials, architects and urban planners have to consider and weigh up a variety of different aspects in order to find the ideal solution. Customised design options are important or very important for 96.6% of respondents. Here, recycled products made from tyre rubber granulate offer a great deal of freedom, as they are available in 28 standard colours and custom colours and can be pressed or cast into practically any desired shape.
The durability/durability of products, building materials and materials is important or very important to 95.4% of survey participants. Here too, recycled products made from tyre rubber granulate score highly, as they are not only extremely robust and durable, but also weatherproof and non-slip.
The recyclability of products, building materials and materials is important or very important to 84.1% of respondents. Many environmentally friendly recycled products can be recycled again after use, broken down into their components and processed into new products, which saves waste and conserves natural resources.
Recycled products made from tyre rubber granulate meet requirements sustainably
High-quality recycled products made from used tyre rubber granulate largely fulfil the legal requirements of Section 45 of the German Recycling Management Act (KrWG). The products are durable, easy to clean, weather-resistant, resource-saving and help to reduce CO2 emissions. Every tonne of used tyres that is recycled in an environmentally friendly way (and not incinerated) saves around 700 kg of CO2 emissions.
The recycled products made from tyre rubber granulate can be used in a variety of ways in architecture and urban planning. With their individual shapes and colours, they open up new design freedom for liveable cities and quickly pay for themselves economically, as they are low-maintenance, easy to clean, weatherproof and extremely durable.
The product range includes covers and wall systems, protective layers and maintenance paths for green roofs and photovoltaic systems, floor coverings for squares, paths and terraces, protective layers for terrace assembly systems, running tracks for sports facilities, fall protection surfaces for children's playgrounds, decorative objects, drive-over and kerb ramps, road asphalting, sound insulation and noise protection, vibration insulation, impact sound insulation and much more.
