According to the Federal Environment Agency, the management of buildings accounts for around 35 percent of Germany's total energy consumption. That is around 115 million tons of CO2 per year. Building efficiency is therefore an indispensable building block on a company's path to climate neutrality. New technologies are constantly adding enormous potential to this area. Whether through heat pumps, solar systems, the installation of new windows or the correct insulation of walls and roofs: carefully planned new buildings or renovations can significantly reduce electricity and heating costs and make an important contribution to reducing pollutant and CO2 emissions.

For new buildings, a new building culture should emerge that relies more on renewable building materials than on concrete, that plans near-natural greenery from the outset and thus rethinks commercial spaces in a new and sustainable way. There are many possibilities for retrofitting existing buildings. Near-natural green roofs, façades and company premises are an efficient compensatory measure for the ongoing sealing of urban spaces. Near-natural green roofs not only beautify the urban and industrial space, but also bind rainwater, relieve the drainage channels and provide vital habitats for animals. When companies green their company premises, this should be done as naturally as possible, i.e. with native wild plants wherever possible. In summer, plants cool their surroundings through the evaporation of rainwater, they convert CO2 into oxygen and can absorb fine dust. In this way, greenery also ensures better air quality and increases employee satisfaction.

Efficient building conversion and greening the building or company premises are therefore relevant topics for companies in their sustainability transformation. Are you looking for (further) ideas and inspiration? Benefit from the knowledge exchange between the actors of the Nachhaltigkeits-Hub Region Bonn.

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