Concrete Perspectives February 2020
CONCRETE NEWS
Construction 2050 Alliance – first steps
On February 19, over 40 construction-related EU association came together to discuss the launch of an EU Construction 2050 Alliance. The initiative comes from Construction Products Europe (CPE), Committee of European Construction Equipment (CECE), European Builders Confederation (EBC) and European Construction Industry Federation (FIEC). The main objectives of the Alliance are to contribute to building the sustainable Europe of tomorrow and to raise the awareness among EU policymakers of the political importance of the construction sector. The first steps include rising visibility of common political priorities of the construction sector within the European Parliament by organizing events with MEPs, as well as organization of meetings of construction stakeholders to discuss political priorities, with the potential participation of representatives of the European Institutions.
The official launch should have been held in the European Parliament on 17th March, however, due to COVID-19 outbreak, it will be postponed to a later date.
Twitter: EUConstruction2050
More info: “Construction 2050: Building tomorrow’s Europe today”
BetonTage 2020
The 64. edition of BetonTage took place from 18 to 21 February in Neu-Ulm (Germany) under the motto: ”Concrete Construction of the Future – Lightweight, Resource-Efficient & CO2 Neutral”. Many renowned speakers provided updates on important technical, legal and economic developments on anything involving concrete and the prefabrication of structural concrete elements. About 160 companies from all major supplier industries had a chance to present their products and services
The Guest country Denmark presented itself as the European metropolis of precast concrete construction. BIBM’s President Claus Bering talked about precast building philosophy in Denmark. In addition, the National Museum of Qatar in Doha, the title motif of the 64. BetonTage, whose fibre concrete discs were produced by a Danish precast concrete element manufacturer, has been showcased. Pernille Nyegaard (the Danish Precast Concrete Association) provided insights into the market for construction and precast concrete in Denmark. The BetonTage are endorsed by BIBM, FBF (Baden-Württemberg Association of Concrete and Precast Plants), FIB (The International Federation for Structural Concrete) and a number of supporters and partners. You can find more information here.
‘Reflect, Debate, Advise – Get Level(s) right’ conference
The aim of the conference was to present the analysis and findings of the Level(s) test phase, and to further engage with testers, test co-ordinators and stakeholders more widely from the building sector on how to revise Level(s) and ensure its success. The Commission aims to release the final publication version in the summer of 2020.
During the morning, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) presented the results from the Level(s) testing, which involved over 130 buildings. The findings were based on the testers’ results, survey responses as well as verification interviews with selected test teams. In the afternoon the participants had an opportunity to help shaping the future of Level(s) through a series of discussions on how to improve the tool and assure its success, based on the findings from the test phase.
The European Commission opened a consultation period until March 20 to submit the comments on the initial proposals for the future of Level(s). More information can be found here.
Twitter: #BuildCircular
BIBM NEWS
Public consultation and feedback
European Climate Pact
BIBM will respond to the public consultation on the future European Climate Pact. The European Commission’s European Green Deal is the new growth strategy for an EU economy that is sustainable, cleaner, safer and healthier. The engagement of the public is critical to instil a new climate culture, awareness and motivation for climate action, bringing together citizens, industry, civil society and authorities at all levels. To achieve this, the Commission will consult the public and interested stakeholders in order to launch a “Climate Pact” in the 3rd quarter of 2020. The roadmap can be found here.
Feedback period: March 4 – May 27, 2020
BIBM Congress is rescheduled (update – 16.03.2020)
Due to the recent COVID-19 developments and in order to protect the health of our participants, exhibitors and speakers, BIBM, host of this years congress, and BCF, the organizer, have decided to reschedule the event to the end of this year.
The new date for the congress is planned to be in the second half of October this year. More details will be published soon.
SEE YOU IN COPENHAGEN IN AUTUMN!
BIBM MARCH – MAY 2020 AGENDA
| MARCH | APRIL | MAY |
| 2: European Concrete Platform Board Meeting Brussels | 2: CEN/TC 229 Editorial Panel Common Rules Brussels | POSTPONED Final Workshop Copenhagen (DK) |
| 6: European Masonry Alliance Confcall | 8: BIBM AhG Eurocode 2 Confcall | POSTPONED Copenhagen (DK) |
| 9: BIBM Technical Commission Confcall | 18: ECP TF HEH Confcall | |
| 10: BIBM Environment Commission Brussels | 19: CPE Sustainability WG Brussels | |
| 11-12: BIBM Communication Commission Brussels | ||
| POSTPONED “A Green Deal for European Cities” 2020 Concrete Dialogue Brussels | ||
| 17: VEEP General Assembly Confcall | ||
| POSTPONED „Precast Concrete in the Circular Economy” Final Conference Kaiserslautern (DE) | ||
| 30: CEN/TC 229 WG5 – Product category rules for concrete Brussels | ||
| 31: BIBM Board Meeting Confcall |
BIBM PARTNERS NEWS
INDUSTRY4EUROPE Plenary Session
On February 14, the Industry4Europe coalition organized its plenary meeting in Brussels to discuss the role of industries in the European Green Deal. The first plenary of the year was organized to inform its members about the latest activities and this year’s priorities. Among the participants were BusinessEurope’s Deputy Director General Lucia Santos and DG CLIMA Director for Climate Strategy Artur Runge-Metzger.
Members of the coalition had the chance to exchange their views on the Green Deal with DG CLIMA’s Director for climate strategy. Mr. Runge-Metzger stressed that climate change already have and will keep on having consequences on European industries, and that companies must consider their carbon impact. The discussion touched upon future initiatives such as the renovation wave, the development of alternative fuels and the taxonomy for sustainable finance.
During the plenary, the discussion touched also on the recently established European Parliament Intergroup on Sustainable, Long Term Investments and Competitive European Industry. The forum was officially launched by co-chairs Ms. Carvalho and Ms. Bonafè on February 13, and will contribute to the implementation of a sustainable EU industrial strategy and show the importance of the role of European industries in the energy transition.
RE4 Best Practise Booklet
On February 7, a new booklet presenting the best cases identified during the RE4 project has been published. The booklet contains demonstration site information, CDW procession overview and many more. It lists best practices ranging from source separation and collection to sustainability and market potential, and to policy and framework conditions.
RE4 is a collaborative research project of 13 partner institutions from science and industry funded under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. The main purpose of project is to develop a RE4 prefabricated energy-efficient building concept that can be easily assembled and disassembled for future reuse, containing up to 65% in weight of recycled materials from CDW (ranging from 50% for the medium replacement of the mineral fraction, up to 65%). The reusable structures will range from 15-20% for existing buildings to 80-90% for the RE4 prefabricated building concept.
The booklet is available here: http://re4.eu
2020 Concrete Dialogue policy debate is re-scheduled (update – 16.03.2020)
2020 Concrete Dialogue
A Green Deal for European Cities,
How can cities lead the way to a sustainable built environment?
We must regrettably announce that we have decided to postpone The Concrete Dialogue event due to take place on March 17th until later in the year. The health and safety of our delegates, guests, clients and staff is our number one priority and after monitoring the situation regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) closely, carefully and regularly we have concluded that it would not be possible to deliver this event as planned.
As soon as we are able to confirm a new date for the event, we will share that with you.
LIVE FROM THE EUROPEAN UNION
The European Commission proposes a Climate Law and consults on the European Climate Pact
On March 4, the European Commission unveiled a European Climate Law to make the EU’s 2050 net zero emissions target legally binding. Should the proposal be approved by the European Parliament and member states, it would commit the EU to reduce its net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050 but foresees the possibility that some Member States could reduce their emissions to net zero at a later date if other countries decarbonize early. The Commission also launched a public consultation on the future European Climate Pact and, more importantly, starts work on the future Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and the review of the Energy Taxation Directive, two important policy instruments of the European Green Deal.
The public consultation will be open for 12 weeks. The inputs will be used to shape the Climate Pact, which will be launched before the United Nations Climate Change Conference taking place in Glasgow in November 2020 (COP26).
European Green Deal – Just Transition Fund
As part of the European Green Deal (January 14), the European Commission adopted a proposal for a regulation to create the Just Transition Fund, aimed at supporting EU regions most affected by the transition to a low carbon economy. The Just Transition Fund scheme will cover projects for energy and transport infrastructure, including gas infrastructure and district heating, as well as decarbonisation projects and renovation of buildings In the European Parliament, the file has been entrusted to the Committee on Regional Development (REGI). The European Commission opened a public consultation on the Proposal for a regulation on Just Transition Fund until 12 March. You can give your feedback here.
EU Summit ends without agreement
On February 20-21, EU Heads of State or Government held their first meeting specially dedicated to the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) since the publication of the European Commission’s proposal in May 2018. The meeting was also the first European Council after the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the EU, the departure of which will lead to an estimated €60-75 billion less funding for the EU’s budget. The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, stressed that the current MFF discussions were made particularly difficult because of Brexit.
Despite intense preparations, and discussions lasting over two days, they failed to overcome their differences to find an agreement. At the end of the meeting, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, declared that ‘we need more time’.
When, and under which conditions, the European Council will reconvene for another attempt to finding an agreement has not decided thus far.
OUTSTANDING PRECAST CONCRETE PROJECTS
National Museum of Qatar – Desert Rose
The French architect, Jean Nouvel, has designed the National Museum of Qatar in Doha. The building consists of 539 double-curved and interlocking fiber-reinforced concrete panels with diameters of up to 87 m. The fibre concrete discs were produced by a Danish precast concrete element manufacturer.
The Museum, opened in March 2019, represents a real milestone in 3D construction and in BIM design.