Sustainable Building Policies in Central Europe: Insights and Future Perspectives

Achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 is one of the European Union’s key priorities. Yet, the attitude of numerous politicians, of the professional community, and of society in general towards the threat posed by climate change is ambivalent. Arguments are frequently heard about the transition to a low-carbon economy that will be very costly, with increased unemployment, and that in reality climate change may not even be that severe. Added to this, there are human rights and freedoms, and in the case of architects and designers, the right to freedom of creation, to choice of materials, etc. The present article seeks to show that the issue of sustainable architecture and construction is not a whim, but an absolute necessity, and that true freedom lies in recognizing this fact and adapting our actions accordingly. However, even if we have the good intentions to adapt the needed actions, there is still the question of how to react in the right way, without causing myriad unwanted side-effects or being completely counterproductive. As there is not yet any comprehensive account of the history of energy-efficient and sustainable building and architecture, this paper has attempted to give a brief overview of developments in this field from a Central European perspective. Furthermore, the aim was to point out some conceptual mistakes that have been made in the past and that should be avoided.