Presently, almost all human activities (agriculture, transport, industry, construction sector, etc.) have an adverse impact on the environment. The construction sector in the EU alone accounts for a big part of the total energy consumption and emission of CO2. Two-thirds of the energy used in the construction sector in Europe goes to housing. As the number of residents grows, the requirements for new housing increase, causing an additional increase in energy consumption and new CO2 emissions for construction, maintenance, lighting, ventilation, cooling, and heating. Benefits of detailed planning of sustainable development of the construction sector are manifold. The most important benefits are sustainable use of resources, economic and social development of communities, increasing employment rates, improvements of living conditions and protection of the environment. Two scenarios for the development of an energy-efficient construction sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina with a focus on housing facilities are developed, in order to address the needs and benefits of detailed planning. Both scenarios analyze the effects on job creation, the impact of used construction materials on the environment and eco balance of local products. The difference in the solutions confirms the benefits of an interdisciplinary approach to the planning of sustainable systems so that not only technical, but also economic and social benefits can be evaluated thanks to the combination of methods used.

The trend of achieving sustainable development in the area of new, eco-friendly materials remains topical for many experts concerned with developing new materials applicable worldwide in civil engineering as well as elsewhere. Our research team has for many years been developing non-traditional materials that meet the current requirements. These materials are made with organic fibers – waste natural fibers produced by agriculture or waste industrial (locally produced) fibers. Their thermal and acoustic insulation properties are very close to those of conventional insulation materials (expanded polystyrene, extruded polystyrene, mineral wool, polyurethane foam), which are still finding broad use in the Czech Republic despite their harmful impact on the environment. The paper focuses on the various uses of several types of textile fibers (mainly by-products) in the development of modern insulation materials with a high value added. These materials bear several specific advantages over conventional insulations, which enable, among others, easier installation. Some of the newly developed insulations can also be used as core insulations in the manufacture of vacuum insulation panels (VIP).

In recent years, many researchers have addressed the issue of interior climate and how it affects human health. Investigations performed at schools and office buildings have found that CO2 concentrations often exceed the limit value of 1500 ppm given in Decree No. 20/2012 Coll., on technical requirements for buildings. In addition, interior space often exhibits very low relative humidity. This results in poor conditions that are detrimental to human health and not conducive to studying and work. One means of improving the interior microclimate is implementing green walls. These walls can help generate a much better climate and greatly enhance the mental well-being of the inhabitants. In addition, they greatly improve dust levels and acoustics in the room. The research compared the interior conditions in two classrooms at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Brno University of Technology. One had a green wall installed while the other was in its original configuration. CO2 concentration, temperature, and relative humidity were measured. A survey was conducted to assess the influence of the green wall on students and teachers (mental well-being, efficiency, productivity, creativity, etc.). Results obtained thus far show that the room with the green wall provides far better interior conditions, mainly in terms of lower CO2 concentration and higher relative humidity, improving students’ and teachers’ mood and health (as confirmed by the survey as well).

This paper shows how facade greening effects the heat resistance value on an old building. The facades of the building are made out of bricks. Two greened facades with different living wall systems have been researched and measured for one heating season. At the same time two not greened parts of the facade were measured. So far there does not exist any general method, how to calculate the U-value or particular heat resistance values of the greened facades. The method which is developed within this research-paper makes the comparison between the greened part of the facade and the not greened part possible. It turned out that there is a difference of the thermal resistance between greened and not greened parts of the facades in winter. The improvement by the greening will be discussed within this paper.