WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?

1. Negative impact of "traditional" buildings on our health.

Our species has evolved as an integral part of the natural environment. Contact with nature and natural processes is essential for our psychophysical well-being. However, in developed countries, people spend 90% of their time indoors where:

• Air quality is poor.
• Natural lighting is insufficient, and artificial lighting is inadequately selected.
• Plants and natural elements are absent.

The accumulation of toxins and volatile organic compounds released from building materials, finishing, furniture, and carpets, among others, has a negative impact on indoor air quality. At the same time, the increasing air-tightness of buildings, aimed at minimizing heat losses paired with inefficient ventilation systems, is conducive to problems with the building’s physics and formation of mold. These factors negatively affect our well-being and can lead to "sick building syndrome" manifested by headaches, irritation of the nose and eyes, allergies, development of autoimmune diseases, fatigue, depression, and even liver problems and birth defects.

2. High cost of living.

Until now, owning a house has been a guarantee of security and independence from external factors. Currently, the building’s operational costs have increased drastically as an outcome of rising energy prices and the unstable geopolitical situation, which makes our budget strictly dependent on the global situation.

Due to inadequately designed or poorly modernized building envelope, the energy demand remains very high. The installation of photovoltaic panels or a change of heat source often turns out to be an expensive investment, disproportionate to the benefits achieved.
In addition, the ambitious EU standards included in the Fit for 55 package mean that we need to adapt construction technologies to the new limits as soon as possible since "traditional" buildings will lose their value to a large extent.

3. Environmental degradation.

Nowadays, biodiversity is constantly declining and natural resources are being overexploited. Traditional building materials are responsible for high energy consumption, around 40%, and a similar percentage of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, associated with the production process and waste disposal. Without taking steps towards more sustainable resource management, we risk that future generations will face serious problems related to environmental degradation, global warming, and increasingly difficult access to basic resources such as drinking water, which is already a real problem in some areas.