Spain must invest $25,000 million to adapt its housing stock to climate change

Heat waves, torrential rains and long droughts. These meteorological events are becoming more common, but our homes are not ready to face them. Approximately 95% of Spanish homesapproximately 15 million buildings, They were built over 40 years ago. That means they do not meet the minimum energy efficiency criteria approved in 2007. But we still have time. The solution put forward by experts is to massively rehabilitate buildings that have hitherto been condemned by those who favor new construction. According to calculations, taking into account the large number of houses exposed to high temperatures and storms, Spain will need to invest around 100 million. €25,000 million for the adaptation of existing housing stock to proposed sustainability criteria By international organizations that help reduce the effects of climate change. To achieve this, it needs to undertake the rehabilitation of 350,000 houses a year.

Unlike other European countries such as France or Germany, where construction stock is rehabilitated at rates of 1.5% and 2% annually, “there was almost no culture in Spain for the preservation and maintenance of houses and buildings,” Marta Vall laments. -llossera, president of the Spanish Supreme Council of Colleges of Architects (CSCAE). According to statistics from the College of Architects, 25,554 homes were rehabilitated in 2019, a year before the start of the pandemic. As a result of the lockdown, sensitivity to the importance of improving the quality of buildings has increased and aid promoted under the Government’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan has been approved using Next Generation Europe funds. expired, The rehabilitation of 34,525 homes was approved in 2022; This number is 35% more than in 2019. This is good news for the sector, but it is still insufficient to meet the target of doubling the rate of rehabilitation in Europe by 2023, which is included in the European ‘Regeneration Wave’ strategy to combat extreme climate. In the case of Spain, the annual rate will increase to 3%.

And the alternative of building from scratch is more expensive. “A new construction will be 1,000 euros per square meter, but a completely rehabilitated one is much lower,” explains Fernando Landecho, board member of the Official College of Architects of Madrid (COAM), “on average an apartment costs 15,000 euros”. Rehabilitation also allows for the decarbonization of the sector. ” structure It requires the extraction of large amounts of natural resources, industrial processes and transportation. Responsible for 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions“Susana Saiz, director of Climate and Sustainability services at European consultancy Arup, says: 40% of emissions, half from heating and 10% from material manufacturing. “This means they are making huge investments. “Using the construction materials production ecosystem (mostly concrete) allows us to reduce emissions and at the same time prepare for subsequent efficient recycling,” says Fernando González Cuervo, partner in charge of EY’s Construction and Infrastructure sector.

Tradition and technology

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For years, even since the approval of energy efficiency certificates for new buildings in 2007, the construction industry has been looking for solutions to help the population overcome both heat waves and periods of heavy rain. The key for experts is to integrate the environment as a key factor of good architectural design by combining traditional solutions with innovative ones. This commitment to sustainability starts from the delivery of projects. “These things are happening Changes to tender processes Which projects? Rewards the use of environmentally friendly materials“Like wood,” says González Cuervo, adding that it has been common practice in Scandinavian countries for years to transfer it to other countries. Other more sustainable materials are straw, bioplastic and the less commonly used CO2 concrete.

An initiative that is attracting more and more followers in Spain, placement of vegetation. “The soil layer acts as thermal insulation, removes CO2 and also provides freshness through planting,” explains Landecho. Saiz agrees, adding “garden frontages, flood-prone parks and tree-lined green spaces” surrounding homes like Vitoria’s green ring. Architects are also calling for rescuing traditional systems such as cross ventilation, an often forgotten design from the 1960s, and combining this with LED lighting that reduces energy consumption. The circular economy also includes tenant waste management through the reuse of rainwater and greywater in the building. Where these solutions are not feasible, using light-colored and reflective materials for sidewalks and roofs “helps prevent cities from overheating,” Saiz says, as well as incorporating permeable pavements that help control ambient humidity due to the urban heat island effect.