This is a guest post by Architect Miguel Martinez de Morentin Morras, advisor IEB, Instituto Español de Baubiologie
They say that in the face of any innovation, the system always reacts with the same protocol.
First is the “neglect” phase to avoid the spread of new approaches; Then we enter the
“ridiculization” phase that allows us to trivialize them and finally comes the “assimilation”
phase, supplanting deep contents with superficial ones, appropriating the discourse.
It seems that in the world of bioconstruction this third phase is being entered through the
front door, and the method of assimilation is “Greenwashing” (“Lavado Verde”). Those who
started in Central Europe back in the 70s, questioning conventional construction methods and
the supremacy of concrete in building, and also those who 20 years later were pioneers on
Iberian Peninsula, may have known the first two phases well. Those of us who joined
bioconstruction as a result of the economic crisis of 2007 see the current trend with a mixture
of stupor and innocent joy: energy efficiency is written in capital letters and has the status of
law; radon is already incorporated into the regulations; Wood construction reaches the level of
the building industry, we even measure CO 2 … with wireless systems.
The criteria and terminology of bioconstruction are gradually being diluted in the media
maelstrom. Words are losing their value and meaning; “Sustainability” serves to advertise
expensive cars and “energy efficiency” seeks to sell its labels and the entire industry that
promotes them. It is disturbing that we no longer talk about “energy waste” in the building
industry and we are left with the “more efficient” label… when almost nothing has changed.
We are witnessing a true bombardment of the “holistic” nature of the act of building and living
that we propose from bioconstruction. Concepts and sectors have to be thoroughly broken
down to process them individually, disconnected, one by one. This way they are easier to be
assimilated into the system; The breakdown of “energy” concept in buildings has been
especially dramatic in recent years… and it seems that it has only been the beginning.
Thus, people without any type of critical vision of constructive reality are entering into very
tempting partial discourses, from the comfortable support of the system. Apparently there is
not so much difference with the conscientious person who swims against the current that has
been the traditional profile of “bioconstructor”.
These are difficult times that bioconstruction is entering, in which rigor as a principle is going
to be even more fundamental. At the IEB, Instituto Español de Baubiologie, we are committed to maintaining this rigor in the holistic nature of bioconstruction; Habitat Biology that encompasses all the aspects that make up the fact of living and puts life and the person at the center.
The “Institut für Baubiologie + Nachhaltigkeit – IBN” was founded in 1983. Its predecessors were the “Arbeitsgruppe Gesundes Bauen + Wohnen” (Build + Healthy Habitat working group – since 1969) and the former “Institut für Baubiologie” (since 1976) . Founder and director of these institutions is Professor Anton Schneider.
The first activity is objective assistance to consumption as well as study and training on the axis of globality, ecology and baubiology (habitat biology or bioconstruction). Our priority is training to become an “IBN bioconstruction specialist”. The Institute is economically and politically independent and neutral.
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