Economic development has been based so far on permanently increasing demand for materials and products. Building materials, such as cement, steel and aluminium, due to the high energy intensity and consumption, have the biggest share in global CO2 emission. They account for 13% of direct carbon emissions from the global use of fossil fuel. Predictions show that, with population increase, the global buildings floor area will double by 2060 with rapid infrastructure development. This will mainly take place in the developing countries. In order to predict future emission trends for the most energy-consuming materials, including cement, steel and aluminium, a historic analysis of their production is necessary along with specifying sectors where these materials are used. This will enable defining strategies to minimise their environmental impact through their effective use. This article presents the historical demand trends for three high energy intensive building materials – steel, cement and aluminium and introduces the future scenarios for energy and carbon reduction.