The research project “BAUHALPS – Building Circular in the Alps” aims to promote circular approaches to building in the Alpine region. It is based on the idea of the New European Bauhaus (NEB), which bundles transformative impulses from culture, crafts, design and society in order to design future buildings and neighbourhoods in a careful, resource-saving and climate-neutral way. The BAUHALPS project brings together 13 partners from Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland. Pilot projects in the participating countries will test innovative concepts and methods and demonstrate forward-looking solutions in the field of circular construction. These pilots will bring the idea of the NEB to life and serve as beacons for sustainable construction.

Key challenges

In Switzerland, the building sector is responsible for almost 24% of greenhouse gas emissions (FOEN 2022). At the same time, 84% of waste in Switzerland is generated by construction activities (FOEN 2021). For Switzerland to achieve its climate protection goals, action must be taken in all sectors. In 2020, the National Council’s Committee for the Environment, Spatial Planning and Energy submitted a parliamentary initiative to amend the Environmental Protection Act. The first article states that: “The Confederation and, within the scope of their competences, the cantons shall ensure the conservation of natural resources”. Despite the media presence of circular economy, there are only a few concrete projects that provide effective impulses for broad implementation as a model for the construction sector. Sustainable approaches in the building sector are often driven by innovative technologies but are often still realised using conventional methods.

Reducing greenhouse gases in the building sector does not only mean producing and operating buildings in an energy-efficient way. In Switzerland, too, moving away from linear production patterns towards a circular economy is a challenge for society as a whole that requires more than just technical or economic solutions.

The New European Bauhaus

The New European Bauhaus (NEB) initiative shows possible ways and solutions for this transformation of the construction industry towards a circular economy. It was launched in September 2019 by Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. Its aim is to support the European Green Deal, the transition to a resource-efficient economy, through innovative ideas and concepts with an interdisciplinary and participatory process. The NEB is based on three core values: Sustainability, especially in the use of resources, aesthetics and inclusion. It brings together experts, companies, institutions and civil society players in the fields of housing, construction, culture, social coexistence and art. The NEB is not a classic environmental or economic project, but a cultural project that gives a face to systemic change. However, the NEB is currently an open concept that has yet to be put into practice. In the coming years, the European research community will have to work on further specifying, developing and testing NEB concepts and methods.

BAUHALPS – Exploring potential across borders

The regions in the European Alpine region face many similar challenges due to the specific geographical challenges of the Alpine area. It makes sense to tackle these challenges, which affect everyone in this interconnected region, together. This is precisely the aim of the Interreg Alpine Space programme. The European funding programme initiates and finances cooperation projects in the seven countries that have a stake in the Alpine region and makes these cross-border initiatives possible. The BAUHALPS project is being implemented as part of such an Alpine Space cooperation. The transnational project is based on the aforementioned New European Bauhaus (NEB) concept to promote the transition to a circular economy in architecture and construction.

Think globally – act locally

The Alpine Space has a unique regional potential: local resources and materials, as well as cultural heritage and the expertise to develop innovative technologies for use in the construction sector. In Switzerland, for example, wood as a raw material, decades of experience in wood processing and technological achievements play a central role. The BAUHALPS project aims to initiate a mutual learning and development process based on the different experiences in dealing with local resources and the technologies developed for this purpose. Values and principles will be discussed and developed globally and transnationally. These will be translated into innovative solutions on site, using local resources, experiences from other regions and in harmony with local cultures, techniques and traditions.

Added value and the Swiss pilot project

The New European Bauhaus (NEB) concept is not yet widely established in Switzerland. The Swiss participation in the Alpine Space consortium of BAUHALPS should change this. A joint toolkit, which is being developed as part of BAUHALPS and tested in regional pilot projects, is intended to provide visible and tangible ideas to promote the circular economy, strengthen regional value chains and establish new value creation systems.

As part of the European Alpine region, the canton of Lucerne wants to promote circular construction and is supporting the Swiss pilot project “circular time lab”. This pilot project creates a time-lapse laboratory for circular construction and involves young professionals in a public challenge. This challenge offers companies an experimental space for innovative applications, while giving young professionals the opportunity to present their skills to the public. This not only strengthens the innovative power of the construction industry, but also increases its attractiveness for young talent. SMEs, government, vocational training and universities are working closely together to meet the challenge. The deliberate positioning of the “circular time lab” in a public place increases its visibility to the public and the media and makes circular construction visible to everyone.

Project partners in the BAUHALPS project

The project team is coordinated by the Fondazione Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia (IT).
The following institutions are represented in the project team:

– Innovationslabor Digital Findet Stadt GmbH (AT),
– International Centre of Resources and Innovation for Sustainable Developement (FR),
– Technology Park Ljubljana Ltd. (SI),
– Museum of Architecture and Design MAO Ljubljana (SI),
– Padova Chamber of Commerce Industry Crafts and Agriculture (IT),
– Habitech – Distretto Tecnologico Trentino per l’Energia e l’Ambiente (IT),
– Technische Hochschule Rosenheim (DE),
– Holz Forum Allgäu (DE),
– Innovationsservice Salzburg (AT),
– Cluster Build & Connect (FR),
– Bayern Innovativ GmbH (DE),
– Kompetenzzentrum Typologie & Planung in Architektur (CCTP), Lucerne University of Applied Sciences & Arts (CH).

Links

• The implementation of the Swiss pilot project «circular time lab» is coordinated by Pascal Wacker.
• Official project website

Funding

The Swiss participation in the BAUHALPS project is co-financed within the framework of the New Regional Policy NRP of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO via the Regional Development Fund, the Agriculture and Forestry Department of the Canton of Lucerne and the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts’ own funds and is supported by the Federal Office for Spatial Development (ARE).

Contact

Dr. Sonja Geier
Competence Centre Typology & Planning in Architecture (CCTP)
sonja.geier@hslu.ch