More soil, less concrete: changing mindsets in construction

Morris made his own earth bricks as part of his Master's project. Alain Herzog / 2022 EPFL For his Master's project, architecture student Jeremy Morris assessed the life cycle of building materials in Vaud Canton. His research shows that the construction industry could shrink its carbon footprint by making more regular use of soil. Morris proposes three courses of action, which he will present at the Quinzaine de l'Urbanisme. The construction industry accounts for 39% of the world's carbon emissions, 11% of which comes from manufacturing building materials such as steel, concrete and glass. The widespread use of concrete is one of the main barriers to reducing this high carbon footprint. Changing this established practice has become a priority for many environmentally conscious architects and engineers - including Morris, who studied the life cycle of concrete in Vaud Canton.