CO2 reduction through a circular public space
The way cities are laid out offers great opportunities to reduce CO2 emissions. The asphalt and concrete used for paving outdoor space has a high CO2 footprint. By applying the circular principles of reuse and reduce, material use can be greatly reduced. Reusing materials prevents new production of asphalt, concrete and brick, and thus the emissions that would come with it.
By working with different paving patterns and freeing up more space for greenery, material demand can be reduced. For new roads, the biggest impact is achieved by reducing material use in the foundation. For example, by separating lanes for heavy motorised traffic and cars, an equally thick layer of foundation need not be laid everywhere. For a new road, a circular design in this way leads to a 42% reduction in CO2 emissions.
More about the researchPosadMaxwan and CO2 reduction
As a firm, we are actively committed to reducing CO2 emissions. We do this through research (like this example), in our projects, but also as an agency itself. In 2019, as an agency, we had a CO2 footprint of 25 tonnes. This consisted entirely of indirect emissions (consumption at suppliers) and work-related transport. By 2024, our CO2 footprint should be 16 tonnes. We will achieve this by committing ourselves as a team to a series of sustainable measures. For instance, we will travel even more often by public transport, or use electric vehicles from shared mobility facilities. We will also encourage online meetings where we can. For our procurement, we will first look at options for reuse or recycling, choosing locally produced items wherever possible. Since November 2021, we have therefore been CO2 certified at level 4.
More on our CO2 ambitionsFor more information about the CO2 certificate and what we do as an office to reduce our CO2 emissions, contact our communications officer Chantal Defesche.
