Since the ecological footprint was first recorded in 1961, Switzerland’s Overshoot Day has moved forward by more than seven months, from the end of December to mid-May. If the entire world population lived like Switzerland, it would need the resources of 2.8 Earths in 2026. Switzerland’s ecological footprint is 4.15 global hectares per person, while the available biocapacity is just 1.48 hectares. The gap is growing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Housing as an underestimated driver<\/strong> Buildings as raw material stores<\/strong> Regulation is tightening<\/strong> System change instead of symbolic policy<\/strong> On May 11, 2026, Switzerland will have used up the natural resources it is entitled to for the entire year. What sounds abstract is a precise warning signal – and the construction and real estate industry is right in the middle of it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":156092,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"pmpro_default_level":"","_surecart_dashboard_logo_width":"180px","_surecart_dashboard_show_logo":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_orders":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_invoices":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_subscriptions":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_downloads":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_billing":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_account":true,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22358,12482,22698,22305],"tags":[45128,12525,12526,19415,12528,58739,32027],"class_list":["post-156091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-construction","category-energy","category-sustainability","category-switzerland","tag-graue-energie-en","tag-immoinvest-en","tag-immonews-en","tag-kreislaufwirtschaft-en","tag-news-en","tag-oekologischer-fussabdruck-2","tag-overshoot-day-en","pmpro-has-access"],"acf":{"bild_mit_ki_erstellt_worden":["Ja"],"lead":"On May 11, 2026, Switzerland will have used up the natural resources it is entitled to for the entire year. What sounds abstract is a precise warning signal - and the construction and real estate industry is right in the middle of it.","autor":"","ort":"","bildunterschrift":"","zusammenfassung":"","bild_im_grid":false,"gallerie":"","newsim":""},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t
Housing is one of the strongest drivers of the Swiss overshoot, alongside mobility, food and imported goods. Between 1990 and 2021, living space in Switzerland increased by 54%, while the population only grew by 31%. Individual changes in behavior can only achieve around 20 percent of the savings. The big levers lie elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
The building sector is responsible for over 40 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to the operating energy for heating, cooling and electricity, it is primarily gray energy that determines how large a building’s footprint really is. It includes all energy from the extraction of raw materials to processing and dismantling. As long as demolition is cheaper than recycling, the potential of the circular economy remains untapped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
The legal framework is tightening. The Climate and Innovation Act has been in force since January 2025 and creates incentives for the replacement of fossil heating systems and energy efficiency measures. The MuKEn 2025, adopted in August 2025, define limit values for gray energy in new buildings for the first time and increase the requirements for photovoltaics and renewable heating systems. However, they will only become binding once the cantons incorporate them into their energy laws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
The message of Overshoot Day is clear: small adjustments are not enough. Scalable solutions are needed in energy, mobility, materials management and site development. As a cross-sector industry, the construction and real estate sector can have an impact in all of these areas if data is recorded precisely, materials are documented and circular processes are standardized. Buildings as raw material stores instead of landfill suppliers – that is the direction.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"