These old Roman buildings could unlock how to build in a warming world

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on The Washington Post or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: Architects and historians are reappraising Rome’s ancient and medieval “spolia” buildings—constructed with reused materials—as a model for sustainable architecture
• Long dismissed for their eclectic appearance, structures like San Giorgio in Velabro are now seen as examples of circular design that can guide future low-emission construction
• As the building sector contributes over a third of global emissions, interest is growing in reusing old materials instead of demolishing and rebuilding

🔭 The context: Historically, Romans reused columns, stone, and decorative elements from defunct temples, theatres, and public buildings, a practice rooted in resource efficiency and cultural adaptation
• Today’s construction trends rely heavily on energy-intensive materials like steel and cement, while producing vast amounts of landfill waste
• Newer movements—like deconstruction and modular design—seek to reverse this by enabling future disassembly and reuse

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The production of cement and steel generates up to 17% of global emissions, while demolition waste accounts for 40% of landfill volume in the U.S.
• Learning from Rome’s architectural recycling can significantly reduce the embodied carbon of new buildings
• Designing for reuse is essential for achieving circular economy goals and long-term sustainability in urban development

⏭️ What's next: Pilot projects, such as Boulder’s 94% landfill-diverted hospital deconstruction and Qatar’s modular stadium, are early signs of scalable reuse practices
• Architects and engineers are exploring methods to catalogue materials, rethink building codes, and embrace modularity
• The challenge now is to embed aesthetics of reuse into mainstream architecture without sacrificing beauty or creativity

💬 One quote: “I see spolia architecture as a kind of role model that inspires reuse and integrates the past in contemporary architecture,” — Maria Fabricius Hansen, University of Copenhagen

📈 One stat: In the U.S., 40% of landfill waste comes from the construction sector, while less than 30% of building materials are recycled

See here detailed sustainability performance of companies like Holcim, and Heidelberg Materials

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