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Sustainability

Although we put the three pillars of sustainability into practice in our day-to-day work, our projects are that primarily contribute to the approach of at least five of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Photo credit: UN

Without being exhaustive, some relevant data from the construction industry:

  • By 2025, we will produce 2.2 billion tonnes of waste on Earth in a year, and half of that will be building materials (cdrecycler)
  • up to 30% of the total weight of building materials entering the construction site ends up as construction waste (ScienceDirect)
  • costs due to design errors represent 6.85-7.36% of the total value of the project (ResearchGate)
  • workers on construction sites spend 70% of their time searching for, identifying, and moving materials (Roland Berger)

But these are just some of the typical problems BuildEXT can help with its digital services today.

Sustainability in construction projects

We use the BIM methodology to bring building information model-based projects to life, providing full support and paradigm-shifting services at all stages from design through project coordination to building operation. We build a model of the planned facility in the virtual space, then simulate, analyze and optimize its construction and operation, but we also provide BIM services during the actual construction and operation phases.

As a result, our projects are

  • economically efficient
  • ecologically balanced and
  • also much more sustainable in human quality of life dimensions

than traditionally designed buildings. What this means in terms of sustainability for a ten billion euro investment is summarised in this article.

In 2020, we joined the Business Council for Sustainable Development in Hungary (BCSDH), and since then we have been active in its working groups and regularly participate in its events.

A dedicated in-house development team works with global BIM solution providers (SolidSpac3, Saint-Gobain,Plannerly,Velis Real Estate Tech, Dalux, etc.) on efficiency-enhancing, error-preventing solutions that can greatly reduce grey energy, material overuse or various dimensions of waste in construction.

It is our common interest and goal to design as many buildings as possible with sustainability in mind, preferably using one of the forward-looking rating systems (LEED, BREEAM, DGNB, WELL, nZEB, ZEB). We also help our partners to pay greater attention to solutions such as model-based construction control, advanced iOT systems, the use of renewable energy devices, or an integrated facility management ecosystem with an as-built model.

BIM – the basis for a sustainable built environment

The biggest contributor to global CO2 emissions is the built environment, which can be made more sustainable by thinking in terms of the whole digital lifecycle of a building, using BIM.

Sustainable organizational operation

We would have relatively little basis to write about sustainability if we did not demonstrate our commitment in our day-to-day organizational operations:

  • we are almost a paperless office, thanks in part to BIM workflow
  • use GreenGo electric car rental or public transport to get around town, or use electric scooters and bicycles where possible
  • we use a modern Loxone automation system in the office
  • our kitchen is environmentally friendly, we use low-energy appliances, drink purified drinking water without plastic bottles and collect waste separately
  • we work on ergonomic office chairs and several height-adjustable desks
  • we extended our scan to BIM service to the office building where our office is located.

We consider ourselves a responsible employer, with transparent communication, a motivation system, and a training system to create an ideal and diverse working environment.

In addition to the young generation, we welcome older, experienced colleagues, pay attention to gender balance and have a number of foreign-born/native-speaking staff.

The founding owner, Csaba Livják, is an advocate of a motivated, diverse and meaningful workplace and has built and continues to build the organizational culture accordingly. Our dedicated goal is to support and promote the digitalization of the Hungarian construction industry and the daily practice of Construction 4.0 by educating the new generation of architects.

At BuildEXT, the proportion of time spent in the home office was already stable at the beginning of 2021, with a distribution of 55-60%. We saw the crisis as an opportunity to experience the multiple efficiencies of working remotely, such as reduced travel time, costs, and hassles, in addition to quality, relaxed work in the cloud.

We have put a lot of effort into helping our colleagues to work flexibly and in new ways, so we have provided them with a range of learning, mental health, and other resources, alongside ergonomic, quality tools. In the virtual space, we also meet regularly with each other outside of our daily work (planking challenges, group yoga, CX-Ray surveys, brainstorming sessions, etc.), which is an important way to keep fit and fit.

At BuildEXT, we believe that supporting local businesses really does lead to valuable community outcomes, which is why we choose to support those in need rather than sending Christmas presents to our partners.

In December 2019, we donated a special motorized bed to Heim Pál Children’s Hospital, in spring 2020 we saved the Rabbit Factory from bankruptcy, and at Christmas, we planted1000 tree saplings with the help of MyForest and donated money to the Zemplén Foundation for the Sick to help the hard-hit Erzsébet Hospital in Sátoraljaújhely. We are also contributing to the development of the Sárospatak sub-region by working on a daily basis with a local printing company, a graphic design team, a PR agency, a winery, and other service providers from the region.

In our office, we also offer colleagues with accommodation problems the possibility to have their underage children in a separate office space for digital distance learning.

Sustainability is the foundation of our operations.

We are BuildEXT.

We look after each other.

Csaba Melovics

Talk to Csaba about this article

Head of Marketing

+36 70 337 53 72

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