Decarbonising construction: lessons and blind spots for a successful transition

3 episodes

Épisode 1/3

How to decarbonise the construction sector, without shifting the problem

On March 31st, 2026

3 min reading time

Valérie Desauziers

Professor at IMT Mines Alès at Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-chimie pour l’Environnement et les Matériaux (IPREM)

Adélaïde Feraille

Professor specialising in life cycle assessments (LCA) at École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (IP Paris)

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is the only tool that evaluates the full range of a building’s environmental impacts, going far beyond GHG emissions alone.
Some ‘green’ solutions can shift the problem: recycled carpets emit toxic substances, showing that decarbonisation and health do not always go hand in hand.
The circular economy presents the same risks: reused materials may contain banned insecticides, despite a climate-friendly approach.
Bio-based materials offer genuine co-benefits, such as a low energy footprint, local availability and the regulation of indoor pollutants.
There is no miracle solution: LCA guides choices by comparing all alternatives, and moderation remains the universal principle of any construction project.

Épisode 2/3

On June 1st, 2026

4 min reading time

Matthieu Vandamme

Professor at École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (IP Paris)

Decarbonising the building sector relies on a combination of several levers: energy efficiency, optimised design, prioritising refurbishment over demolition, and innovative materials.
Reducing clinker content is the most effective approach: new cements, such as LC3, contain 50% clinker compared to 75% in traditional formulations.
Poorly formulated concrete can emit four times more CO₂ than optimised concrete — avoiding over-dosing with cement could save 30 to 50% of emissions.
Concrete cannot be abandoned, but it can be combined with alternative materials, such as wood, stone or earth.
CO₂ capture remains in its infancy (50 million tonnes captured against 2 billion emitted) and should be reserved as a last resort.

Épisode 3/3

On April 21st, 2026

3 min reading time

Louis-Gaëtan Giraudet

Research Director at École nationale des ponts et chaussées (IP Paris)

In 2024, energy consumption related to building operations—heating, air conditioning, etc.—accounts for 45% of final energy consumption in France. The majority of this comes from the residential building stock.
As INSEE data shows, there is, on average, a 50% discrepancy between the energy performance predicted during a renovation and the performance actually measured.
The problem is not the size of the budgets, but their poor allocation: targeting tenants and apartment owners would be more efficient than focusing solely on single-family homes.
The solution: proactively identify and support priority households, resulting in fewer but far more effective renovations.