Lastly, temperature. Maintaining a temperature of 20 °C-22 °C in winter and avoiding overheating in summer requires effective insulation, good thermal inertia, and appropriate sun protection, including solar control glazing to ensure optimal light levels. These measures stabilize indoor comfort while significantly reducing energy requirements: turning down the heating by just one degree represents an average of nearly 7% in energy savings and hence lower CO2 emissions. So there is no need for a trade-off between comfort and reduced environmental impact: solutions exist that allow progress to be made on both fronts at the same time. A passive building illustrates this perfectly, combining stable temperatures, constantly renewed air, and plentiful natural light, while its energy consumption drops by 75% to 90% and its CO2 emissions are virtually zero. ADDRESSING A MISCONCEPTION ABOUT WHAT SUSTAINABILITY REALLY MEANS All the lights seem to be at green for the systematic deployment of sustainable solutions aimed at greater comfort and well-being. Design tools are getting better, the technical solutions are proven, feedback is available, and economic benefits are well documented. International standards now recognize this convergence between environmental performance and quality of life: the Déclaration de Chaillot, the European Level(s) framework, and WELL and HQE (high environmental quality) certification all incorporate both aspects. Yet the 2026 Sustainable Construction Barometer reveals that only 18% of sector stakeholders around the world make the connection between sustainable construction and well-being and health of occupants. To overcome this perception barrier, the challenge now lies in the narrative we choose to deploy. Opting for a more detailed explanation of quality-of-life factors will enable us to move beyond an overly restrictive view of what sustainability really means. SPOTLIGHT RIEDBERG PRIMARY SCHOOL (GERMANY). In Frankfurt, this primary school complies with Passivhaus standards: enhanced airtightness, measured at a level approximately 25% more stringent than the Passivhaus threshold, and dual-flow mechanical ventilation with heat recovery via an air-to-air heat exchanger. After monitoring for thirty months, the results show an average temperature of 22.9 °C in summer without air conditioning, optimal air quality, and energy savings of 90% compared with conventional standards. Students can work in good conditions while the school has optimized its energy bills. THE SHANGHAI ASTRONOMY MUSEUM (CHINA), the world’s largest planetarium, was designed as a place of discovery where visitor comfort is at the heart of the experience. Gyproc supplied approximately 15,000 m2 of plasterboard for the partitions and ceilings, contributing to acoustic absorption and sound clarity, which are essential for understanding scientific content and ensuring a high-quality visitor experience. Their light weight also facilitated installation while limiting the load on the structure, in a building with a particularly complex shape, without no straight lines or right angles. 24 25
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