Uploaded on 2015-06-16 by tomasbrage

[1]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14344615523873032.jpg This is an archetypical apartment block from the late 1970s in Spain. It has a reinforced concrete frame, cladded entirely with bricks, joint with cement mortar. The steel used in the reinforcement was likely produced more than a thousand kilometers away, on the Basque city of Bilbao. The arids were probably locally sourced and bricks were manufactured in the region. Some windows have been retrofitted with elements that might have been fabricated in Germany, or elsewhere in Europe. Some chemical products that cover the roof terraces and façades, for impermeabilization purposes, might have their origin in petrochemical plants thousands of kilometers away, and shipped cheaply, due to their lightness. Machinery like AC systems, water heaters and lifts have surely pieces that come from distant factories, some maybe from offshore factories in southeastern asia. It is possible that with more retrofitting and technification of the building over time, more and more parts of the building would have their origin in the global market. However, the construction industry is well-stablished in Spain, and most materials are produced, if not close, within the country.