Material Flow Analysis as a Tool for Sustainable Management of the built environment

In Switzerland, infrastructure construction is frequently discussed in regional sustainable development because it causes extensive movements of materials. But construction itself is of decreasing importance in industrial countries, as we expect a down-slow in growth of the built environment. Hence, the focus of research on sustainability is shifting to management of the existing building stock. As the following figures indicate, management of the built environment is a key process of sustainable regional development. First, maintenance, repair, overhaul (MRO) as well as refurbishment and structural modification requires extraction of raw material and use of biomass and generates a large amount of waste (75% of the total mass of waste in Switzerland in 2000). Second, the use of the built environment (transportation, dwelling, production) needs almost 60% of the total national energy consumption in Switzerland. Third, the built environment represents an import capital stock in the national economy which generates demand for the construction industry and capital income for all economic actors.