Lightweight Construction in the Spotlight

One day after the first-ever EU Commissioner-designate for housing was heard by the European Parliament, Eurogypsum launched the BUILD LIGHT campaign in Brussels on 6th November 2024. The initiative is aimed at exploring the advantages of lightweight construction to address Europe’s housing challenges.

Speakers and panellists included Christoph Dorn (President, Eurogypsum), Alicja Szambelan (Public Affairs Officer and BUILD LIGHT Coordinator, Eurogypsum), Céline Carré (Sustainable Construction WG Leader, Eurogypsum), Adrian Joyce (Secretary General, Efficient Buildings Europe) and Emmanuelle Causse (Secretary General, UIPI). The debate was moderated by Tristan Suffys (Secretary General, Eurogypsum).

A few take-aways from the panel:

There is a clear momentum at EU level to address the acute housing challenges, with the nomination of a Housing Commissioner and upcoming initiatives on sustainable and affordable housing, as well as housing construction
Lightweight construction solutions can help tackling the need for sustainable and affordable housing
They support EU’s strategic autonomy and the sector’s competitiveness
They enable the green transition of Europe’s buildings
The sector looks forward to cooperating with the new EU leadership on these important policies

Eurogypsum’s Vice-President Dr. Jörg Ertle commented on the needed supply of essential raw materials such as gypsum to address Europe’s housing and climate policy challenges. He stressed the potential for biodiversity management during gypsum quarrying operations.

The event ended with the first Eurogypsum Biodiversity Awards 2024 ceremony, rewarding the best photographs illustrating biodiversity in gypsum quarries. The ceremony was moderated by Annita Papa (Senior Public Affairs, Eurogypsum), in presence of jury panel members Przemysław Ogiński (Policy Officer, European Commission’s DG Environment) and Thomas Sebrechts (Conservation Partnerships Officer, BirdLife Europe & Central Asia).