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On this page, you will find the results of the Sustainabuild project. You can also find our handbook and other materials.

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This version contains blanc pages between cases if a case has odd number of pages and coloured bars on the right margin of odd pages of cases. Thus, colour and paper will be consumed a bit more.

If you want to be sustainable, do not print at all. If you need a printed version, an alternative above is a bit more sustainable than this one

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This site has been created only for educational purposes. All rights of materials stored or linked to this site remains on the original owners of copyrights. No commercial or other use is allowed without copyright owners' permission

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Bogdan - Integrated center for drug users 

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Bogdan - Integrated center for drug users 

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Bogdan - Integrated center for drug users  v2

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B03 Palazzo Verde, District zuid, Antwerpen

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B03 Palazzo Verde, District zuid, Antwerpen

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B03 Palazzo Verde, District zuid, Antwerpen.docx V2

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B04 Demer-Kapermolenpark , HasseltL.docx V2

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Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

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Introduction of SAMK solar photovoltaic system

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In the future, the gardens should meet the challenges posed by climate change. Danish lifestyle expert Flemming Möldrup introduces ideas that are sustainable in terms of nature. He finds them both in the countryside and in big cities.

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K1, J2: Ilmastopuutarha | Tulevaisuuden unelmapuutarhat

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Tulevaisuuden puutarhojen tulee vastata ilmastonmuutoksen asettamiin haasteisiin. Ensin tarvitaan kuitenkin edelläkävijöitä, jotka inspiroivat muita. Tanskalainen elämäntaitoekspertti Flemming Möldrup lähtee etsimään pioneereja, joilla on luonnon kannalta kestäviä ideoita. Hän löytää heitä niin maaseudulta kuin suurkaupungeista.

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What is an Ecosystem? || 10 Examples of Ecosystem

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What Makes a Sustainable Living Environment - see the checklist

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What Makes a Sustainable Living Environment - see the checklist

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Sofie Pelsmakers, Essi Nisonen, Katja Maununaho, Tapio Kaasalainen, Jyrki Tarpio, Taru Lehtinen, Raúl Castaño-Rosa

The rooftop of the D36 apartment building in Oslo (2013), designed by Element Arkitekter, acts as private outdoor space as well harbours communal outdoor spaces and local biodiversity, and has proven a successful social infrastructure for the residents. Photo: Finn Ståle Felberg

Several new trends in housing production are worrying experts, as these trends are compromising dwellers' health and well-being as well as the longevity of the apartments. Researchers at the Tampere University School of Architecture compiled different aspects of housing design quality into a checklist.

Due to the recent focus on increasing urban densities, concerns are being raised both around the world and in Finland about a reduction in the design quality of apartment blocks to meet the needs of current and future citizens 1. This matters, because there are about 3.2 million homes in Finland of which 47% are in apartment blocks, and most new homes are now multi-family apartment blocks 2. From the perspective of sustainability, a dense urban structure is considered to create benefits through the energy- and spatial-efficiency of apartment blocks, as well as through the availability of services, goods and public transport. In addition to these environmental perspectives, socially sustainable housing design must meet the criteria of basic housing needs, that is, to create a safe environment for people to pursue independent activities, social participation and live a healthy life. 3

Housing functionality and suitability for different and changing needs are crucial for long-term spatial, ecological and social sustainability, and are also stipulated in Finland's national building regulations. 4 Yet, several new trends in Finnish housing production - such as deeper building plans, poorly daylit apartments 5, and apartments that do not meet residents' needs over time or for a diversity of people 6 - are worrying. In particular, a "double-loaded corridor", meaning a long building corridor with apartments on both sides, has several knock-on effects on apartment design: it creates a larger proportion of single aspect apartments, typically reducing access to natural light and views. Moreover, the ever deeper building blocks lead to the creation of deep plan apartments, increasing internal circulation. All of these aspects decrease the apartment's furnishability and adaptability potential.

These issues are typically more pronounced in small studio apartments, which take up 24% of the Finnish national housing stock, and the current production of one-room studios is as much as 40%. 7 Additionally, apartment buildings set in a dense urban structure typically also have mediocre, shaded, tight outdoor spaces that are hard to use or spend time in during most times of the year.

Helsingin Kotisatama is a communal apartment building for seniors in Helsinki's Kalasatama district. It is the second project of the Aktiiviset Seniorit (Active Seniors) association for its members. Staggered balconies and tall windows support good daylighting, and shared spaces offer settings for social interaction. Photo: Tuomas Uusheimo

Photo: Sivén & Takala Architects

Why Housing Design Quality Matters

As we spend around 70% of our time in our homes, it is crucial that this environment has a positive effect on our health and well-being. 8 With an ageing population and increased working from home, this is even more important. Housing also involves the apartment block and the surrounding neighbourhood, not just the internal environment of the single apartment - this is why we refer to the term living environment. Good housing design qualities affect resident well-being positively and support desirable, sustainable and healthy homes and neighbourhoods that meet the needs and expectations of dwellers. Poor housing design quality can lead to, for example, reduced sleep, greater anxiety, loneliness and an increase in home energy use. 9

Based on our research, we synthesised and grouped the key aspects of sustainable housing design qualities into four themes and into the scales of apartment, building and neighbourhood: indoor environmental quality, spatial configuration and organisation, furnishability and transformability, as well as social infrastructure. We suspect that none of these aspects are new or surprising, yet many have been forgotten and are often neglected in current housing production. Many of the scales and qualities are interconnected and influence one another and should be considered in a way that takes the surrounding social and environmental context into account.

1

INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY (IEQ) on the apartment scale includes access to daylighting, sunlight and different orientations, views of the sky and visual connections to nature, providing seasonal awareness in support of residents' health and well-being. 10 It also includes thermal and acoustic comfort, as well as good indoor air quality. Especially in a changing climate, the prevention of summer overheating is important; good summer IEQ can be achieved through summer solar shading, vegetation, and natural night-time ventilation.

The key design principles include shallow plan buildings and layouts, and windows in more than one direction, to enable good daylight, visual outdoor connections, winter solar gain and summer-time cross ventilation, while also supporting good furnishability and spatial adaptability. Ideally, balconies are spatially connected to the main living spaces. However, if they are located in front of the main or sole window, this reduces the access to natural light. 11 In that case, either larger or more windows are required, or balconies should be staggered.

In addition, a careful placement of multiple windows supports future adaptability by e.g. enabling the splitting of the room into two, each with a window. In external spaces on the building and neighbourhood scales, good IEQ includes physical access to sunlit and sheltered outdoor spaces such as courtyards and urban nature.

Ørsted Gardens project by Lokal (2020) transformed a dilapidated 1960s building in Copenhagen by adding a series of triangular glass bays to the old facade, creating semi-private decks for the residents and acting as social infrastructure with usable corridors to linger. Photo: Hampus Berndtson

2

The housing design qualities related to SPATIAL CONFIGURATION AND ORGANISATION aspects are about a choice and diversity of apartments and layouts in the apartment, building and neighbourhood in order to ensure that a diversity of people's spatial and social needs can be met within the community. In the apartment block, the spatial organisation of double-loaded corridors is undesirable, because it creates more apartments that face in one direction only. Particularly with deep apartment layouts, typically more than 6 metres, this creates poorly daylit spaces, further exacerbated by balconies. 12

On the apartment scale, good spatial configuration and organisation principles incorporate the provision of sufficient space -including both social and private spaces, storage spaces and private outdoor space - as well as usable spatial arrangements in the entrance area, effective circulation areas and connections between rooms. Central entrance access into the apartment is desirable in order to avoid long, dark and unusable apartment corridors.

While often difficult to achieve, a usable entrance zone with natural light is welcoming and enables it to be used for other purposes, e.g. as a future study space or play area. The overlapping of the necessary circulation areas ensures that the furnishable floor area is effectively used and allows different furnishing options. As an example of this, a circulation area to the balcony can be part of an entrance circulation area or overlap partly with a space that is needed in order to use the kitchen cupboards. Ideally, circulation areas are also concentrated in the darker parts of the room, which are less desirable to use and furnish for the main purpose of the room. 13

3

FURNISHABILITY AND TRANSFORMABILITY refer to the use of space in multiple ways. For furnishability, this includes the ability to place furniture in more than one position, and for transformability, it entails changing the connections between rooms, separating a private room, or even dividing or combining apartments without altering load-bearing elements.

Having multi-paths, or multiple doors into the apartment and between rooms, enables accessing and using spaces in different ways and changing their levels of privacy. Unused doors can remain closed and have furniture placed in front of them. Being able to easily make temporary or longer-lasting changes in the home and its external, shared community spaces means that residents do not have to move home if their situation changes. It also supports stability and diversity, as well as reduces fluctuations in communities. 14

4

SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE refers to opportunities for people to interact through the provision of nearby everyday indoor or outdoor shared spaces and functions within the apartment block or in the surrounding neighbourhood. This supports individual well-being and cohesion. 15 Social interactions are supported in neighbourhoods that are mixed-use with a diversity of public open space, built form, and local services on the human scale. They are pedestrian-oriented with access to high-quality green space, biodiverse environments, views of nature and the neighbourhood and have a pleasant microclimate, i.e., both sunlit and sheltered entrances and public spaces. 16

On the building scale, physical access from the apartment to shared spaces and urban nature supports social connections. Conversely, insufficient space and qualities of long double-loaded corridors discourage opportunities for neighbours to interact or spend time socially. Such spaces are also hostile to those having to navigate with prams or wheelchairs and might isolate a portion of the community. All of the social spaces, both in a neighbourhood and on the building scale, need to be physically and socially accessible for a diversity of people - meaning not just play areas for children but also adaptable and optional functions for adults.

The apartments in Vindmøllebakken, Stavanger, Norway, by Helen & Hard (2019), are organized around 500m2 of shared space. Social interactions take place in the amphitheatre, shared dining space and hobby room which are visible behind the glass wall. Well-being is further supported by apartments that are well daylit - typically from more than one side. Photo: Sindre Ellingsen

Photo: Sindre Ellingsen

Towards More Adaptable Housing Design and Living Environments

Diverse and adaptable spaces are common qualities across all the scales and themes of sustainable housing design. Indeed, given that housing is under increasing pressure to accommodate changing situations and demographics, the provision of diverse and adaptable housing is crucial. 17 While this is required in the Finnish building regulations 18, it is rarely a reality in current housing production. 19 Failure to create adaptable apartments and buildings can also lead to premature building obsolescence and, in the worst cases, even to building demolition - this is against sustainability and circular economy basic principles. 20 Moreover, the building design affects the apartment layout, and, is in turn, determined by the city plan which stipulates the buildable rights. This highlights that we need to get the urban scale right first 21 and consider all the sustainable housing design qualities carefully together.

The table of key housing design quality indicators is intended as a reminder in one's own housing designing process, or when evaluating existing housing developments. By its very nature, a summary table cannot be all-encompassing but it can give an overview of what the concrete key considerations are in sustainable housing design at this very moment. The features highlighted in the table are not explicitly regulated, but are paramount for creating sustainable living environments. ↙

The writers are part of the Sustainable Housing Design research group Asutut at Tampere University, which conducts user-centric research that responds to societal challenges in contemporary housing design in a rapidly changing world. The research this article is based on was part of the Housing in Change project supported by YH Kodit Oy and an organisation called Länsi-Suomen Yleishyödyllinen Asuntosäätiö (Western Finland Non-Profit Housing Foundation) , and the Academy of Finland funded Real Estate and Sustainable Crisis Management in Urban Environments (RESCUE) study.

1 Stephen Finlay et al.: The way we live now: What people need and expect from their homes. Raportti. Royal Institute of British Architects 2012.
John Punter: "The recession, housing quality and urban design". International Planning Studies 15(3) 2010, 245-263.
Henna Helander:"Korjausliike kohti hyvinvointia". Blog of the Finnish Association of Architects 23.1.2020.

2 Asunnot ja asuinolot 2021, asunnot talotyypin, käytössäolon ja rakennusvuoden mukaan. Statistic Finland 2021.

3 Henna Luoma-Halkola ym.: "Asumisen tarpeet - peruslähtökohta". Ketterän asumisen keittokirja online publication (ed. Jyrki Tarpio et al.) 2019.

4Ympäristöministeriön asetus asuin-, majoitus- ja työtiloista 1008/2017.

5 Henna Helander: "Korjausliike kohti hyvinvointia". Blog of the Finnish Association of Architects 23.1.2020.
Sini Saarimaa & Sofie Pelsmakers: "Better living environment today, more adaptable tomorrow? Comparative analysis of Finnish apartment buildings and their adaptable scenarios", The Finnish Journal of Urban Studies 58(2) 2020, 33-58.

7 Sofie Pelsmakers; Sini Saarimaa & Mari Vaattovaara: "Avoiding Macro Mistakes: Micro-homes in Finland Today", Nordic Journal of Architectural Research 3/2021, 92-127.
Hanna Karikallio et al.: PTT raportteja 262: Pienten asuntojen osuus asuntotuotannossa ja vaikutukset asuinalueiden eriytymiseen, Pellervon taloustutkimus 2019.
Terttu Vainio et al.: Asuntotuotannon laatumuutokset 2005-2020, Korkeampaa, tiiviimpää, energiatehokkaampaa. Ympäristöministeriön julkaisuja 2021:29.

8 Nick Baker & Koen Steemers: Healthy homes: Designing with light and air for sustainability and wellbeing. Riba Publishing 2019.

9 i.e. Michael Keall et al.: "Assessing housing quality and its impact on health, safety and sustainability". Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 64(9) 2010, 765-71.
Anne Tervo & Johanna Lilius: "Urbaanien yksinasujien asuintilatoiveita". Finnish Journal of Urban Studies 55(1), 2017.
Nick Baker & Koen Steemers: Healthy homes: Designing with light and air for sustainability and wellbeing. Riba Publishing 2019.

10 Hans Drexler & Sebastian El Khouli: Holistic housing: Concepts, design strategies and processes. Edition Detail 2012.
Nick Baker & Koen Steemers: Healthy homes: Designing with light and air for sustainability and wellbeing. Riba Publishing 2019.
Sofie Pelsmakers: The Environmental Design Pocketbook. Riba Publishing 2015.

11 Taru Lehtinen et al.: Asuminen muutoksessa: Asunnot ja naapuruston jaetut tilat asukkaiden arjessa. Final report. Tampere University, Faculty of Built Environment, Unit of Architecture, Asutut research group. 2022.

12 ibid.

13 ibid.

18 Ympäristöministeriön asetus asuin-, majoitus- ja työtiloista 1008/2017.

19 Sini Saarimaa & Sofie Pelsmakers: "Better living environment today, more adaptable tomorrow? Comparative analysis of Finnish apartment buildings and their adaptable scenarios". Yhdyskuntasuunnittelu 58(2) 2020, 33-58.

21 Sini Saarimaa & Sofie Pelsmakers: "Better living environment today, more adaptable tomorrow? Comparative analysis of Finnish apartment buildings and their adaptable scenarios". Yhdyskuntasuunnittelu 58(2) 2020, 33-58.

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What Makes a Sustainable Living Environment? - Researchers Compiled a Checklist | ark

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Sofie Pelsmakers, Essi Nisonen, Katja Maununaho, Tapio Kaasalainen, Jyrki Tarpio, Taru Lehtinen, Raúl Castaño-Rosa Several new trends in housing production are worrying experts, as these trends are compromising dwellers' health and well-being as well as the longevity of the apartments. Researchers at the Tampere University School of Architecture compiled different aspects of housing design quality into a checklist.

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Urban diversity and sustainability through green spaces

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Cities play an important role in maintaining biodiversity and different species. How can cities be developed sustainably while taking into account biodiversity?

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Our goal is to implement sustainable development in all the activities of cities and municipalities. This can be achieved by taking into account the various aspects of sustainable development in cooperation between the state, cities and municipalities.

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Our goal is to implement sustainable development in all the activities of cities and municipalities. This can be achieved by taking into account the various aspects of sustainable development in cooperation between the state, cities and municipalities.

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Finland's capital, Helsinki, has made a commitment to report voluntarily to the UN on its implementation of the sustainable development goals. However, ambitious planet-friendly solutions are already being put into practice around the country.

Lahti, a city of 120,000 just over 100 kilometres north of Helsinki, recently won the European Green Capital Award 2021, conferred by the European Commission. The honour brings Lahti to light as a leading model for urban sustainability on the continent. It unveiled a strategy called Bold Green City in 2018, but its environmental commitment goes back much farther and reflects a combination of factors, according to Saara Vauramo, who runs the Lahti Green Capital project together with Milla Bruneau.

Carbon trading gets personal

"Firstly, there's our connection with nature," says Vauramo. "Ninety-nine percent of Lahti's residents live within 300 metres of the natural environment."

"Then, after the collapse of industry and jobs in the 1990s, there was a strong need to develop the local economy. We started cooperating with universities and investing in research, all of it related to environmental solutions. So we have people with vision and we think big."

Lahti stopped using coal in April of 2019 and is spending 180 million euros on a bioenergy plant, aiming to become carbon neutral by 2025 and be the first major Finnish city to do so. Lahti's experiment with CitiCAP, the world's first personal carbon trading scheme, also caught the attention of the Green Capital jury.

"CitiCap is about trading your personal carbon emissions for local benefits, like bus or movie tickets," says Vauramo. "We will pilot it for a year and then invite other cities to use it. It's a unique tool."

Town with two-letter name aims for zero waste

The town of Ii in northwestern Finland has the shortest name in the country - that's capital "i" followed by lowercase "i," pronounced "ee" like the letter "e." Its population is also small: just 9,889 people. However, it harbours the biggest of ambitions: it wants to be the first zero-waste town in the world. By investing in solar, wind and geothermal energy, Ii is on track to cut carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2020, a cool 30 years ahead of the EU target.

"The fact that other countries are interested in us has boosted our ego," says Johanna Konttila, an Ii resident who is doing her master's thesis on climate change. "But it's sometimes difficult to explain how I live sustainably. I don't think about recycling, I just automatically do it." She also doesn't see anything special about picking up her two-year-old child from daycare on a bike or, in the winter, on a kicksled.

According to Ii's mayor Ari Alatossava, successful climate action starts with education at a young age. All the schools and daycare centres in Ii participate in the Euronet 50/50 energy-saving programme, in which children learn to measure their own emissions. "We are bringing up a sustainably conscious generation," says Alatossava, who lives in a house with a geothermal heating system. "The Ii way of living can be applied to any city."

Finland is just one country, but even seemingly small-scale actions and inspiring examples here can have a big cumulative effect when multiplied internationally.

"It does make a difference, even if we are just little Ii," says Konttila.

European greenery

Lahti and Ii are also part of Fisu (Finnish Sustainable Communities), a network of municipalities working towards becoming carbon neutral and waste-free by 2050. The other Fisu communities are Forssa, Hyvinkää, Joensuu, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Lappeenranta, Riihimäki, Turku and Vaasa.

The southeastern city of Lappeenranta was among this year's finalists in the European Commission's Green Leaf award for cities with a total population between 20,000 and 100,000. The European Green Leaf title 2020 was jointly awarded to Limerick, in Ireland, and Mechelen, in Belgium.

"I'm very proud that our city made it to the final." says Calvin Otewa, a 17-year-old member of the Lappeenranta Youth Council. For Otewa, it's important to know that his city is trying to combat climate change and to come up with solutions.

Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology (LUT) has long played an important role in the city's green development. LUT's Green Campus, a forerunner in green energy research, focuses on seeking climate change solutions and makes practical use of its own innovations.

"Lappeenranta is on a good road, but there's still a lot to improve," says Otewa. "For instance, the city should also invest in bioenergy buses." He commutes by bike and public transport.

By Carina Chela, October 2019

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It all adds up: How Finnish towns are taking action against climate change - thisisFINLAND

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Many Finnish people who are worried about climate change are also doing something about it. Towns and cities across Finland are having success with various strategies in the quest for zero emissions. Even small actions can have a large cumulative effect.

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see the document here: https://www.irbnet.de/daten/iconda/CIB8578.pdf

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Sustainable construction aims for a balanced living environment for both people and nature that will remain healthy for future generations as well. Sweco designs carbon-neutral living environments that preserve biodiversity and support people's wellbeing and smooth everyday life. At Sweco, healthy living environments are created by architects, structural and building services engineers, indoor air and concrete researchers, quality assurance professionals and project management. We also carry out sustainable industrial planning and consultation for production development and industrial plant projects.

Carbon neutrality and smart energy are involved in sustainable development in construction and industry

Sustainable construction refers to material- and energy-efficient construction that produces long-lived buildings, traffic and infrastructure solutions and industrial plants.

The core principle of sustainable construction is aiming for carbon neutrality and climate change mitigation. As sustainable construction becomes more commonplace, carbon footprint calculations and renewable energy solutions are involved in an increasing number of building projects. In such projects, reducing emissions and recycling can mitigate climate change effectively. The EU aims to increase the circular economy rate of the construction sector to 70%. We support resource efficiency by promoting more efficient use of materials and energy and the recycling and reuse of products and waste among other things with improving circular economy in demolition projects. At the same time, we create sustainable business, use natural resources sustainably and preserve biodiversity.

At Sweco, we are the pioneers in the digitalisation of construction. Our consultants use the latest digital tools to carry out carbon footprint calculations, e.g. for our clients' construction and industrial projects. This way, we can find means of improving energy efficiency before the project even starts, and we can assess the realisation of low-carbon or carbon neutrality goals during the project and in building maintenance. Our lifecycle solution and energy consultation services can be applied to an individual building, an industrial plant or whole areas. Structural designers optimise and save materials and make use of hybrid expertise at various sites.

We design safe and socially sustainable living environments

Sustainable construction must always pay attention to the human perspective: social sustainability. The ever-accelerating climate change also draws our attention to the importance of social sustainability. Socially sustainable and safe residential areas promote equality and accessibility, pay attention to different groups of people and support residents' wellbeing in their everyday lives. These include sustainable transport infrastructure, buildings that support health and wellbeing, and proximity to nature.

Sweco uses the latest innovations and technologies so that we can plan and help implement economically and socially sustainable living environments. We have developed digital calculation and information modelling tools that ensure high-quality planning. Local residents are always at the heart of sustainable planning, and we want to promote their wellbeing.

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Sustainable construction - Sweco Finland

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Sweco designs carbon-neutral living environments that preserve biodiversity and support people's wellbeing and smooth everyday life. Contact Us!

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Carbon footprint calculations and low-carbon construction

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Carbon footprint calculations and low-carbon construction

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Good Practices on SDG Implementation: Inspiring Examples to Drive Change

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Good Practices on SDG Implementation: Inspiring Examples to Drive Change

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Good Practices on SDG Implementation: Inspiring Examples to Drive Change

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Localising the SDGs in a changing landscape

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Localising the SDGs in a changing landscape

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Localising the SDGs in a changing landscape

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Abstract

Due to climate change, there is a need to phase out fossil-fuel based energy use for heating, cooling and lighting buildings. Thus, a transition to nearly zero energy buildings is necessary. This requires socio-technical change in both building and energy systems - implying significant changes not only in technology but also in policies, institutions, markets, practices and culture surrounding the technology. Buildings offer many opportunities for decarbonisation, while the optimal energy performance improvement and the potential for reduction differs case and region specifically. This publication summarises research in an Academy of Finland funded project, Change in Business Ecosystems for Local Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency - Better Energy Services for Consumers (USE), conducted during 2015-2018. It addresses the challenge of further improving the energy efficiency of the Finnish building stock by focusing specifically on energy service companies offering integrated services for buildings, on the emerging business ecosystems and regional innovation ecosystems for energy services, and on the building energy efficiency policy mix from the perspective of transition. The report shows that, in Finland, the transition towards nearly zero energy buildings has started, but the building sector is still far from being nearly zero energy. Energy service companies have the potential to reconfigure the existing energy and building systems and drive the transition. Energy and building sectors are supply-centric, so changing the mind-sets of energy and construction industry actors towards service provision and consumption is vital. At societal level, disinterest in energy efficiency is slowing down transition. Ecosystems of actors providing integrated building energy services are emerging around specific business models and in various regions. At the regional level, a city can orchestrate a process to create an innovation ecosystem by gathering the relevant actors and creating a common vision towards a nearly zero energy building system. Many supportive policies are in place, and policy development has been largely consistent and coherent in the intermediate term. However, more attention needs to be paid to the comprehensiveness of the policy mix to reach the goal of nearly zero energy, and especially to implementation to make sure it is coherent with the policy goals.

Original language

English

Publisher
Finnish Environment Institute SYKE

Number of pages

53

ISBN (Electronic)

978-952-11-4978-8

ISBN (Print)

978-952-11-4977-1

Publication status

Published -

MoE publication type

D4 Published development or research report or study

Publication series

Series

SYKE Publications

Number

5

ISSN

2323-8895

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

Cite this

Kivimaa, P., Kangas, P., Lazarevic, D., Lukkarinen, J., Åkerman, M. , Halonen, M. , & Nieminen, M. (2019). Transition towards zero energy buildings: Insights on emerging business ecosystems, new business models and energy efficiency policy in Finland . Finnish Environment Institute SYKE. SYKE Publications No. 5 http://hdl.handle.net/10138/293607

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Kivimaa, P, Kangas, P, Lazarevic, D, Lukkarinen, J, Åkerman, M , Halonen, M & Nieminen, M 2019, Transition towards zero energy buildings: Insights on emerging business ecosystems, new business models and energy efficiency policy in Finland . SYKE Publications, no. 5, Finnish Environment Institute SYKE. < http://hdl.handle.net/10138/293607 >

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PY - 2019

Y1 - 2019

N2 - Due to climate change, there is a need to phase out fossil-fuel based energy use for heating, cooling and lighting buildings. Thus, a transition to nearly zero energy buildings is necessary. This requires socio-technical change in both building and energy systems - implying significant changes not only in technology but also in policies, institutions, markets, practices and culture surrounding the technology. Buildings offer many opportunities for decarbonisation, while the optimal energy performance improvement and the potential for reduction differs case and region specifically. This publication summarises research in an Academy of Finland funded project, Change in Business Ecosystems for Local Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency - Better Energy Services for Consumers (USE), conducted during 2015-2018. It addresses the challenge of further improving the energy efficiency of the Finnish building stock by focusing specifically on energy service companies offering integrated services for buildings, on the emerging business ecosystems and regional innovation ecosystems for energy services, and on the building energy efficiency policy mix from the perspective of transition. The report shows that, in Finland, the transition towards nearly zero energy buildings has started, but the building sector is still far from being nearly zero energy. Energy service companies have the potential to reconfigure the existing energy and building systems and drive the transition. Energy and building sectors are supply-centric, so changing the mind-sets of energy and construction industry actors towards service provision and consumption is vital. At societal level, disinterest in energy efficiency is slowing down transition. Ecosystems of actors providing integrated building energy services are emerging around specific business models and in various regions. At the regional level, a city can orchestrate a process to create an innovation ecosystem by gathering the relevant actors and creating a common vision towards a nearly zero energy building system. Many supportive policies are in place, and policy development has been largely consistent and coherent in the intermediate term. However, more attention needs to be paid to the comprehensiveness of the policy mix to reach the goal of nearly zero energy, and especially to implementation to make sure it is coherent with the policy goals.

AB - Due to climate change, there is a need to phase out fossil-fuel based energy use for heating, cooling and lighting buildings. Thus, a transition to nearly zero energy buildings is necessary. This requires socio-technical change in both building and energy systems - implying significant changes not only in technology but also in policies, institutions, markets, practices and culture surrounding the technology. Buildings offer many opportunities for decarbonisation, while the optimal energy performance improvement and the potential for reduction differs case and region specifically. This publication summarises research in an Academy of Finland funded project, Change in Business Ecosystems for Local Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency - Better Energy Services for Consumers (USE), conducted during 2015-2018. It addresses the challenge of further improving the energy efficiency of the Finnish building stock by focusing specifically on energy service companies offering integrated services for buildings, on the emerging business ecosystems and regional innovation ecosystems for energy services, and on the building energy efficiency policy mix from the perspective of transition. The report shows that, in Finland, the transition towards nearly zero energy buildings has started, but the building sector is still far from being nearly zero energy. Energy service companies have the potential to reconfigure the existing energy and building systems and drive the transition. Energy and building sectors are supply-centric, so changing the mind-sets of energy and construction industry actors towards service provision and consumption is vital. At societal level, disinterest in energy efficiency is slowing down transition. Ecosystems of actors providing integrated building energy services are emerging around specific business models and in various regions. At the regional level, a city can orchestrate a process to create an innovation ecosystem by gathering the relevant actors and creating a common vision towards a nearly zero energy building system. Many supportive policies are in place, and policy development has been largely consistent and coherent in the intermediate term. However, more attention needs to be paid to the comprehensiveness of the policy mix to reach the goal of nearly zero energy, and especially to implementation to make sure it is coherent with the policy goals.

M3 - Report

SN - 978-952-11-4977-1

T3 - SYKE Publications

BT - Transition towards zero energy buildings

PB - Finnish Environment Institute SYKE

ER -

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Transition towards zero energy buildings: Insights on emerging business ecosystems, new business models and energy efficiency policy in Finland

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Due to climate change, there is a need to phase out fossil-fuel based energy use for heating, cooling and lighting buildings. Thus, a transition to nearly zero energy buildings is necessary. This requires socio-technical change in both building and energy systems - implying significant changes not only in technology but also in policies, institutions, markets, practices and culture surrounding the technology.

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Transition toward circular economy causes changes to contracting in constructing branch

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Transition toward circular economy causes changes to contracting in constructing branch

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Castren & Snellman is one of the biggest attorney companies in Finland, specialized in business contracts.

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7.9.2021

Castren.fi

Insights

The shift towards the circular economy is accelerating globally in nearly every industry-including construction. It has been estimated that nearly half of the world's material resources are used for construction, which means that the industry has massive circular economy potential. Sustainability, circular economy thinking and increasing regulation are starting to make themselves felt in the construction industry and construction contracts.

Circular Economy Thinking Guides New Regulation

The goal of the circular economy is to use materials as efficiently and sustainably as possible and keep them circulating safely for as long as possible. Finland's goal is to be a leader in the circular economy by 2025, which is reflected both in the regulation of the construction sector and in policy planning. The pending reform of the Land Use and Building Act is to include proposals for numerous provisions that promote the circular economy, such as requirements concerning the longevity of new buildings and how they can be repaired and demolished and more detailed provisions on the demolition situations.

A new decree on climate assessments for buildings and guidelines supporting it are also intended to promote more sustainable and efficient building construction. The decree is related to the reform of the Land Use and Building Act and is currently being circulated for comments. The decree seeks to map the climate impacts of buildings using a method to assess the carbon footprint of buildings in such a way that carbon budgets can be set for new buildings by 2025.

Naturally, EU policies also have a major impact on the circular economy of the construction sector. The Commission has set ambitious targets for promoting the circular economy within the EU. The role of construction is touched upon in both the European Green Deal and the circular economy action plan. A separate circular economy strategy for buildings is also being worked on and is estimated to be ready in 2021 or 2022. Expect to see additional policies and potential recycling targets in the very near future.

Green Deal Agreements Accelerate Development

In addition to actual legislation, the construction industry has committed to voluntary measures to promote the circular economy. Last year, the Ministry of the Environment entered into two circular-economy-related Green Deal agreements with several representatives of the construction industry. In these Green Deal agreements, construction sector companies have voluntarily committed to sustainable demolition principles and to promoting the collection and reuse of plastic waste. Green Deal agreements are an excellent indicator that it is possible to pursue climate goals in good cooperation outside of traditional regulatory frameworks.

The Future of the Circular Economy in the Construction Industry

The growing global and national enthusiasm for coupling the construction sector to the circular economy is unlikely to abate. It is certain that the material streams used by the construction industry will come under increasing scrutiny in this decade. This will also open up space for new kinds of businesses, some of which can already be seen, for example, with respect to the use of surplus materials. It is important to keep up with the new opportunities created by the circular economy thinking. It is already possible to incorporate circular economy ideas into project development agreements and construction contracts today.

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Building Contracts: Circular Economy and New Regulation Create New Business in the Construction Industry

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The shift towards the circular economy is accelerating globally in nearly every industry-including construction. It has been estimated that nearly half of the world's material resources are used for construction, which means that the industry has massive circular economy potential. Sustainability, circular economy thinking and increasing regulation are starting to make themselves felt in the construction industry and construction contracts.

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Circular economy in construction industry – integrating demolition and construction

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To decrease the amount of waste or to transform waste into value-added products, we need new technologies, processes, and value chains, which help make our economy and society more sustainable and circular.

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Basic information In progress

Goals and results

The objective of the aim scheme is to accelerate the introduction of technologies, services and operating models that mitigate climate change and support a low-carbon approach in the construction sector, a change in approaches and an increase in productivity.
All projects to be selected to the programme must fulfil the selection and eligibility criteria in accordance with the "Do No Significant Harm" (DNSH) principle.

Summary

The Low-carbon Built Environment Programme contributes to the implementation of the Finnish Sustainable Growth Programme, which is part of the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). The objective of the programme is to mitigate and adapt to climate change and to find and implement low-carbon solutions in the built environment.

Starting points

Buildings, construction products and construction comprise an exceptionally important sector when considering how to solve issues related to combating climate change and low carbon activities. Construction and buildings produce about one third of Finland's greenhouse gas emissions. In order for Finland to achieve its national and international climate targets, emissions from the construction sector must also be reduced.

Additional information

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Low-carbon Built Environment Programme - Ministry of the Environment

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Goals and results The objective of the aim scheme is to accelerate the introduction of technologies, services and operating models that mitigate climate change and support a low-carbon approach in the construction sector, a change in approaches and an increase in productivity.All projects to be selected to the programme must fulfil the selection and eligibility criteria in accordance with the "Do No Significant Harm" (DNSH) principle.

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The holistic database and system for managing the information of built environment, licenses, register of existing buildings etc.

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The built environment constantly produces valuable information that can be used to influence the functionality, healthiness and energy efficiency of the environment we live in, and climate change. There is extensive and important information on the built environment, but at the moment this is scattered, incoherent and difficult to use. The movement of information between organisations is difficult because the data and systems do not work together. There are also shortcomings in the data or they are not up to date, and it is difficult to access information on the national level.

In the project on the built environment information system (Ryhti) data created in the permit procedures will be compiled and stored in a coherent and readily accessible form. To achieve this, a national built environment information system will be created in broad cooperation between the relevant stakeholders. The management of data on the built environment is being transformed in a way that data on land use and construction will be even more readily accessible in a coherent form.

The key elements of the new model are the commonly agreed data structures, legislation and access to data in one place. A new, more coherent way to manage, use and utilise data is an absolute necessity in order for the digitalisation of the sector to proceed. The project lays the foundation for the digital utilisation of planning and construction permit data in the whole country. More detailed and accurate data on the impacts of construction and land use helps to mitigate the burden they cause to nature and climate emissions. National information can be used to monitor the impacts of the plans and to make decisions that cause as little environmental harm as possible.

Legislation has been amended and will be further developed to respond to the need of the increasingly digitalised society to harmonise data on the built environment. The reform of the Land Use and Building Act is also based on the needs related to the digitalisation of the built environment. Now the provisions concerning construction have been separated into a new act, the Construction Act. The act requires that the applicant for a new permit must submit the data needed for this in a machine-readable form. The municipality forwards the design and as-built models created in the construction process to the built environment information system. When the process to develop the built environment information system started, separate provisions on digitalisation concerning land use were included in the Land Use and Building Act.

The EU promotes the development of building information systems e.g. under the Digital Building Logbook initiative. The EU obliges to compile interoperable planning and building data that is accessible through interfaces and download services. This transformation has been successfully promoted in other countries, and Finland cannot afford to lag behind in this development.

Project lays the foundation for better and more accessible information

Information on zoning plans and building permits will be compiled and processed into a coherent and accessible form. To achieve this, a national information system on the built environment will be created in broad cooperation between the relevant stakeholders. Both the producers and users of information will benefit from this transformation.

Both producers and users of data benefit from the new information system

Coherent data accessible smoothly and safely when needed.

Much less overlapping data is collected and the data is always up to date.

High quality data helps develop public services and various kinds of business activities.

Investments in the digitalisation of data on the built environment will pay themselves back.

Digitalisation is a team sport

The new way to manage, produce and utilise information on the built environment will be created through cooperation. The project on the built environment information system and its timetable are linked to several other projects on promoting digitalisation in the sector. The parties to the project of the Ministry of the Environment and the Finnish Environment Institute are the local governments and regional councils, operators in the real estate and construction sectors, associations, information system suppliers, regional administration, and the relevant ministries and agencies.
The project partners include the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, National Land Survey of Finland, Digital and Population Data Services Agency and DigiFinland. The Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) will be responsible for the implementation and maintenance of the information system.

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Project Ryhti - Ministry of the Environment

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The built environment constantly produces valuable information that can be used to influence the functionality, healthiness and energy efficiency of the environment we live in, and climate change. There is extensive and important information on the built environment, but at the moment this is scattered, incoherent and difficult to use.

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The new Building Act will take effect in the beginning of 2025.

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Ympäristöministeriö - Miljöministeriet - Ministry of the Environment of Finland

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New Finnish Construction Act supports Circular Economy

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An example of municipal building regulations

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An example of municipal building regulations

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In addition to national regulations, each municipal has a regulation of their own.

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The building regulations of the City of Helsinki are central guidelines regulating construction, in addition to the local detailed plans. They decree on matters such as what can be built and renovated without a permit from the construction supervision body.

You can find more specific instructions in Constructions project instructions.

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The regulations concerning construction in Helsinki are available in its building regulations.

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The Land Use and Building Act (132/1999) specifies the general conditions concerning building, substantive technical requirements, building permit procedure and building supervision by the authorities. The substantive technical requirements concern the strength and stability of structures, fire safety, health, user safety, accessibility, noise abatement and noise conditions, and energy efficiency. Besides the substantive technical requirements, section 117 of the act lays down the authority to issue decrees concerning the use and maintenance guidelines for buildings. Further provisions and guidelines concerning building are issued in the National Building Code of Finland.

Traditionally the regulations in the Building Code have applied to new buildings only. In the case of renovation or alterations the regulations have been applicable only when required due to the type and extent of the measure or use of the building or part of it that may be changed (unless specifically regulated otherwise). The aim is to allow flexibility in the application of the building regulations, to the extent possible considering the characteristics and special features of the building. As the Building Code is being revised, each of the new decrees will specify whether it is applicable to new building or renovation or alteration of a building.

Planning and supervision

Planning and supervision

When undertaking a building project it is to be ensured that a building is designed and constructed in accordance with the provisions and regulations concerning building and the permit granted for it. A party undertaking a building project must have sufficient capabilities to implement the project, considering how demanding it is. It is also to be ensured that the designers and managers of the building project meet the qualification requirements and, considering how demanding the tasks are, that other people involved in the building project have sufficient expertise and professional skills.

The municipal building supervision authority must supervise the building operations in terms of general interest and, for his or her part, that the provisions and regulations laid down in the Land Use and Building Act or under it are complied with in building. The matters to be taken into account when considering the scope and type of the supervision task include how demanding the building project is, the expertise and professional skills of the permit applicant and other persons responsible for the design and construction of the building, and other matters pertinent to the need for supervision.

The provisions and regulations concerning building and requirements for good building practice must be observed in the construction work.

The supervision by the authorities concerning construction work starts when construction work that is subject to a permit is started and ends with the final inspection. Supervision is targeted, in the work stages and to the extent decided by the authority, to matters that are relevant in terms of a good outcome of the building project.

When undertaking a building project it is to be ensured that inspection records on the construction work are kept at the building site. The responsible persons of construction stages agreed in the building permit or start-up meeting and those inspecting the work stages must enter the inspections they have performed to the inspection records. The entries made to the inspection records constitute a description of the entire construction work from the fulfilment of the conditions for starting the construction work to the summary of the inspection records to be submitted to the building supervision authority as an annex to the final inspection minutes.

Personal email addresses are of the form [email protected]

Strength and stability of structures

Strength and stability of structures

A party engaging in a construction project shall ensure that the building in question is planned and constructed in such a way that the structures are strong and stable, suitable for the conditions of the building site and will endure for the duration of the planned service life of the building. The structural design and dimensioning of load-bearing structures shall be based on the principles of structural mechanics and generally accepted design principles, or on reliable test results or other available data. Construction products that are suitable for the strength and stability of the structures shall be used in the construction of a building.

A building shall be designed and constructed in such a way that the loads exerted on it during construction and use do not result in the collapse of the building, deformations detrimental to strength and stability, or damage to other parts of the building or equipment and fixtures installed in the building. Furthermore, the building shall be designed and constructed in such a way that structural damage due to external causes cannot be disproportionately extensive in relation to the event that caused the damage

The essential technical requirements concerning load-bearing structures are fulfilled when the structures are designed and constructed in accordance with the Eurocodes and the National Choices concerning these. Other design and constructing schemes may be applied provided that the design and construction results in the fulfilment of the essential technical requirements with regard to the strength and stability, usability and service life of the structures.

Finnish instructions are indicative. If you find some discrepancies in English text regarding Finnish text, we kindly ask you to be in contact with the ministry and inform us about your observations.

Decree of the Ministry of the Environment on Load-bearing Structures, 477/2014 3/16 Decree concerning national choices for the basis of structural design when applying standard SFS-EN 1990 (pdf)

Basis of structural design for load-bearing structures, regulations and instructions, 2016 (pdf)

Decrees of the Ministry on the national choices concerning the actionson structures:
4/16 national choices for densities, self-weight and imposed loads for buildings, when applying standard SFS-EN 1991-1-1 (pdf) 5/16 national choices for actions on structures exposed to fire, when applying standard SFS-EN 1991-1-2 (pdf) 6/16 national choices for snow loads, when applying standard SFS-EN 1991-1-3 (pdf) 7/16 national choices for wind actions, when applying standard SFS-EN 1991-1-4 (pdf) 8/16 national choices for thermal actions, when applying standard SFS-EN 1991-1-5 (pdf) 9/16 national choices for actions during execution, when applying standard SFS-EN 1991-1-6 (pdf) 10/16 national choices for accidental actions, when applying standard SFS-EN 1991-1-7 (pdf) 11/16 national choices for actions induced by cranes and other machinery, when applying standard SFS-EN 1991-3 (pdf) 12/16 national choices for loads on silos and tanks, when applying standard SFS-EN 1991-4 (pdf)
Actions on structures, regulations and instructions, 2019 (pdf)

Added instruction NA EN 1991-1-1 item 10

Concrete structures, instructions, 2016 (pdf) Concrete block structures, guidelines, B9 (1993)

Steel structures, instructions, 2019 (pdf)

CEN/TC 250/SC3 has observed a safety issue in standard EN 1993-1-4 concerning standard clause 5.4.2.1, buckling curves. SC3 recommends that instead of standards table 5.3, the revised table 5.3 in prA2:2019 shall be applied www.eurocodes.fi

Decree of the Ministry of the Environment on Foundation Structures, 465/2014 13/16 Decree on the national choices with regard to the general rules for geotechnical design, when applying standard SFS-EN 1997-1 (pdf)

Design of foundations, regulations and instructions, 2018 (pdf)

Further information

Jukka Bergman, Building Counsellor, tel. +358 295 250 057, [email protected]
Jorma Jantunen, Building Counsellor, tel. +358 295 250 105, [email protected] (concrete structures, timber structures, masonry structures)

Fire safety

When undertaking a building project it is to be ensured that a building is designed and constructed in a way that it is fire safe, as required by its intended use. The risk of fire breaking out must be minimised. The load-bearing structures of the building must be such that, in the event of a fire, they will be endure for the minimum required time, taking into account the collapse of the building, securing the evacuation routes, rescue operations and containing the fire. It must be possible to limit the intensification and propagation of fire and smoke, and the spreading of the fire to nearby buildings. In constructing a building, construction products and technical equipment that are suitable in terms of fire safety must be used.

A building must be such that, in the event of a fire, those inside it can escape or be rescued. The safety of emergency service personnel must be taken into account in construction. The permit authority may require a safety report to be drawn up for a building that is particularly demanding in terms of emergency evacuation safety.

Further information

Jyrki Kauppinen, Building Counsellor, tel. +358 295 250 122, [email protected]
Jorma Jantunen, Building Counsellor, tel. +358 295 250 105, [email protected]

Health

When undertaking a building project it is to be ensured that the building is designed and constructed in such a way that it is healthy and safe with regard to indoor air, humidity, temperature and lighting conditions, and water supply and sewerage, as required by the intended use of the building and environmental conditions. The building must not cause risk to health because of impurities in indoor air, radiation, water or soil pollution, smoke, wastewater, the insufficient processing of waste, or the humidity of the building elements or structures.

Products used in construction work must be such that during their planned service life they do not cause emissions that cannot be considered acceptable into the indoor air, drinking water or the environment. Building systems and equipment must be suitable for their intended use and maintain healthy conditions.

Personal email addresses are of the form [email protected]

Safety of use

When undertaking a building project it is to be ensured that a building is designed and constructed in a way that it is safe to use and maintain, as required by its intended use. The building, its outdoor areas and pathways may not cause a risk of injury, accident or damage that cannot be considered acceptable.

The assessment of the acceptability of risk is based on the regular or normally anticipated use of the site. Such use does not include knowing or intentional risk-taking by the users.

The safety of use requirement refers to three main risk categories:

Falling over, slipping and falling down; collision of a moving user or risk of crushing and hits, cuts and squeezes caused by a moving object or parts separated from it;

Fire, electricity or explosion accidents; provisions of fire safety are laid down in the Decree of the Ministry of the Environment on Fire Safety of Buildings; provisions on electricity safety are laid down in the Electricity Safety Act and under it.

Accidents in buildings and building sites caused by moving vehicles.

1007/2017 Decree of the Ministry of the Environment on Safety of use of buildings

Responsible person Tomi Marjamäki

Accessibility

Accessibility

When undertaking a construction project it is to be ensured that the building and its yard and other premises are designed and constructed as required by the intended use, the number of users and the number of floors, especially in terms of accessibility and usability for children, the elderly and persons with disabilities.

Noise abatement and noise conditions

Noise abatement and noise conditions

When undertaking a building project it is to be ensured that, as required by the intended use, the building and its yard and other premises are designed and constructed in a way that noise exposure and noise conditions in the building and the yard and other premises of the building site do not pose a risk to health, rest or working.

The sound insulation of structures and the sound level and installations of the technical building equipment must be such that the sleep and rest of people inside the building are not disturbed and, in terms of the noise conditions, the building can be used as intended. The noise conditions of the building must be determined through the sound level and reverberation and the sound levels in the yard area and other premises.

Further information

Environment Counsellor Ari Saarinen, tel. +358 2952 50257, [email protected]

Energy efficiency of buildings

Energy efficiency of buildings

When undertaking a construction project it is to be ensured that the building to be designed and constructed is energy efficient considering its intended use in a way that the use of energy and natural resources is minimised. Compliance with the minimum requirements for energy efficiency must be demonstrated by calculations based on energy use, energy loss and the form of energy used.

The products and technical building systems in a building and their adjustment and measurement systems must be such that, when the building and its systems are used as intended, the energy consumption and power demand remain low and the energy consumption can be monitored.

Energy efficiency must be improved when carrying out any repairs and alterations or making changes to the intended use of a building if this is technically, functionally and economically feasible.

1010/2017 Decree of the Ministry of the Environment on the Energy Performance of New Buildings (pdf) 788/2017 Government Decree on the numerical values of coefficients for forms of energy used in buildings (pdf)

9/2013 Government Decree on energy carrier factors for buildings

1/2014 Decree of the Ministry of the Environment Amending the Decree of the Ministry of the Environment on the Energy Efficiency of Buildings (19 August 2014)

Description of the test years, 2018 (pdf, in Finnish)

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Weather data Jyväskylä, 2012 (xls)
Weather data Sodankylä, 2012 (xls)
Weather data Vantaa, 2012 (xls)

D3 Heat recovery calculator 2012, version of November 2011 (xls, in Finnish)
D3 Heat loss compensation calculator 2012, version of December 2012 (xls)

Calculation of power and energy needs for heating of buildings, guidelines 2018

D7 (1997) Efficiency requirements for boilers, regulations

4/2013 Decree of the Ministry of the Environment on Improving the Energy Efficiency of Buildings in Conjunction with Repair and Modification Works (pdf) 2/17 Decree of the Ministry of the Environment on Amending the Decree of the Ministry of the Environment on Improving the Energy Performance of Buildings Undergoing Renovation or Alteration (pdf)

Explanatory Memorandum on improving energy efficiency of buildings in conjunction with repair and modification works, 2013 (pdf) Calculation Annex to the Explanatory Memorandum (pdf) Explatory memorandum on Amending the Decree of the Ministry of the Environment on Improving the Energy Performance of Buildings Undergoing Renovation or Alteration (pdf)

Certification of Buildings

50/2013 Act on Energy Performance Certificates of Buildings

1048/2017 Decree of the Ministry of the Environment on Energy Performance Certificates of Buildings

Further information

Pekka Kalliomäki, Senior Construction Adviser, tel. +358 2952 50114, [email protected]
Jyrki Kauppinen, Senior Engineer, tel. +358 2952 50122, [email protected] (energy efficiency in repair and modification works)

Use and maintenance manual

Use and maintenance manual

When undertaking a building project it is to be ensured that a use and maintenance manual is drawn up for a building that is used for permanent residence or work or for the technical management or maintenance of the building site or plot needed for the building. A use and maintenance manual must also be drawn up in conjunction with repair and modification work or a change in the intended use of a building when the measure requires a building permit. However, a use and maintenance manual is not required for temporary or fixed-term buildings, holiday homes and buildings intended for recreational purposes that are not used on a year-round basis, or for production and storage buildings that are not used for work on a permanent basis.

A use and maintenance manual must include the intended use and properties of the building and the planned service life of the building and its building elements and equipment, including the information required for the appropriate use of the building and for fulfilling the maintenance obligation. When undertaking a building project it should be noted that the final inspection of the building work cannot be conducted if the use and maintenance manual, if required for the building, is not completed to a sufficient extent and ready to be delivered to the owner of the building.

Separate provisions on the obligation to draw up a use and maintenance manual for certain wide-span buildings and on specific requirements for the content of the use and maintenance manual for such buildings are laid down in the Act on the Assessment of the Structural Safety of Wide-span Buildings (300/2015).

Housing design

Housing design

When undertaking a construction project it is to be ensured that the spaces intended for residential use are designed and constructed in a way that are fit for their purpose, pleasant and comfortable. Housing design must promote the functionality of spaces intended for residential use and their suitability for varying and changing residential needs.

In a construction project it is to be ensured, in particular, that environmental factors and natural conditions are taken into account in the location of residential buildings, arrangement of their spaces and other housing design.

1008/2017 Decree of the Ministry ot the Environment on lived, accommodation and work premises

Responsible person Harri Hakaste

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The National Building Code of Finland - Ympäristöministeriö

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The Land Use and Building Act (132/1999) specifies the general conditions concerning building, substantive technical requirements, building permit procedure and building supervision by the authorities. The substantive technical requirements concern the strength and stability of structures, fire safety, health, user safety, accessibility, noise abatement and noise conditions, and energy efficiency.

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The EPI demonstrates Denmark's leadership through a number of examples of the green transition. This includes facts such as Denmark's reduction of CO2 emissions by more than half since peaking in 1996 and that 47 per cent of electricity was sourced from wind power in 2019. Researchers also emphasize current plans of at least tripling offshore wind capacity by 2030 through the construction of two energy islands with an initial capacity of 2GW each, and Denmark's 70 per cent reduction target by 2030 enshrined in the new climate act.

Other nations in the top tier include Luxembourg, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and France.

"The fact that Denmark is now number one on an index as celebrated and influential as the EPI is a testament to the fact that even a small country is capable of great change. We want to be a global source of inspiration and hopefully influence others to follow the same path we have taken. I am pleased to see that the experts also highlight our recent commitment to reduce emissions by 70 per cent by 2030," said the Danish Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities, Dan Jørgensen.

- Related news: Green energy islands, renovated buildings and climate-neutral waste: Danish government has a new climate action plan

Denmark excels in almost every indicator of environmental health, having long made significant commitments to air quality, advanced sanitation, and safe drinking water. The highest-ranked country also stands out in solid waste management, with virtually all of the nation's waste being recycled, composted, or incinerated.

"I am proud of the recognition of the Danish achievements within environment and climate. For many years we have set ambitious long lasting targets for environment. Even though Denmark ranks high on the index as a global leader, I believe that it is essential to stress that we are presently in an ecological crisis and the crisis is global. Production, consumption and sourcing has negative consequences outside national borders. And we are all affected by climate change and the loss of biodiversity. The Danish government is therefore significantly raising the ambitions for climate, environment and biodiversity, and we hope to do it together with the rest of Europe and globally," said Minister for Environment, Lea Wermelin.

"Denmark's #1 position in the 2020 Environmental Performance Index reflects high-level focus and carefully conceived Government policies on the full spectrum of sustainability challenges with particular effort centered on delivering deep decarbonisation. We hope other nations across the world will take inspiration from Denmark's leadership," said Daniel Esty, Director at Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy.

"Our analysis suggests that countries with broad-based sustainability efforts and particular emphasis on decarbonising their economies come out at the top of the pack"
- Daniel Esty, Director of the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy

Denmark made the leap from 3 rd in the previous iteration of the EPI in a rather bleak context as the 2020 EPI reveals that progress on mitigating climate change globally is not progressing nearly fast enough to meet the collective goals of the Paris Agreement.

"The ranking is by no means a reason to rest on our laurels. On the contrary, we feel compelled to keep working hard. This is not a competition and we want to use our privileged position to inspire others, engage in the global debate, and show green leadership," said the Danish Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities, Dan Jørgensen.

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The relationship between 2020 EPI Score and GDP per capita shows a strong positive correlation, although many countries out- or underperform their economic peers (source: EPI)[/caption]

- Related news: CO2 emissions dropped by 6 per cent in 2019 as Denmark has lowest coal consumption in 50 years

Extract from Climate Chapter in EPI report:

"Denmark leads the world on climate change action, having reduced its CO 2 emissions by more than half since peaking in 1996 (World Bank, 2019). Denmark's capital city of Copenhagen has slashed emissions through investment in wind energy and biomass, adoption of district heating and cooling systems, and expansion of bike lanes to the point that there are now more bicycles on the streets than cars (Cathcart-Keays, 2016; Taylor, 2018). The city aims to become the first carbon-neutral capital by 2025. Denmark sourced 47 per cent of its electricity from wind power in 2019 (Gronholt-Pedersen, 2020), and recently announced a plan to at least triple its offshore wind capacity by 2030 through the construction of two 2GW "energy islands" (Hook, 2020). The project could eventually expand to 12GW, exporting excess energy to neighboring countries. The "islands" represent a central part of the country's plan to implement a groundbreaking new climate law which aims for 70 per cent emission reductions by 2030 and net zero by 2050. The legislation requires the government to set binding emission targets for each sector of the economy every five years, and could serve as a model pathway for other developed nations (de Bellefonds, 2020)."
Facts
The EPI is a biennial environmental scorecard produced by researchers at Yale and Colombia universities that ranks 180 countries on 32 sustainability criteria across 11 categories, based on historical data. The primary objective of the index is to enable a detailed comparison to be able to evaluate which measures have the most effect.
Sources The Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies

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Denmark earns the top spot in global sustainability index

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The EPI demonstrates Denmark's leadership through a number of examples of the green transition. Other nations in the top tier include Luxembourg, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and France.

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Kort om DGNB | Rådet for Bæredygtigt Byggeri

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DGNB er et omfattende værktøj til at skabe ro, retningslinjer og overblik i en ofte kompleks byggeproces. DGNB bygger på FN’s definition af bæredygtighed. I DGNB-systemet evalueres et byggeri eller byområde ud fra seks hovedområder

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EUs Taksonomi er et sæt fælles regler for hvad der kan betegnes som værende miljømæssigt bæredygtigt, på tværs af EU.

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VCØB - Videncenter for Cirkulær Økonomi i Byggeriet - VCØB

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Det handler om cirkulær økonomi og ressourcer

VCØB samler, udvikler og formidler uvildig og konkret viden om cirkulær økonomi i byggeriet.

Hos VCØB kan du som bygningsejer, entreprenør, håndværker, rådgiver, arkitekt, producent eller kommune få gratis vejledning om genbrug og genanvendelse af byggematerialer.

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VCØB samler, udvikler og formidler uvildig og konkret viden om cirkulær økonomi i byggeriet. Hos VCØB kan du som bygningsejer, entreprenør, håndværker, rådgiver, arkitekt, producent eller kommune få gratis vejledning om genbrug og genanvendelse af byggematerialer.

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Få gratis vejledning om energibesparelser i bygninger - www.byggeriogenergi.dk - Videncenter for Energibesparelser i Bygninger

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Ny energiløsning om varmepumpe i større bygninger

Varmepumper er ikke kun til enfamiliehuse, men også i etageejendomme, kontorbygninger, skoler m.m. udenfor fjernvarmeområder. Derfor har Videncentret udgivet en ny energiløsning om, hvordan man konverterer delvist til luft-vandvarmepumpe. Delvis konvertering er relevant, hvis hel konvertering ikke er muligt af forskellige årsagen.

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Få gratis vejledning om energibesparelser i bygninger - www.byggeriogenergi.dk - Videncenter for Energibesparelser i Bygninger

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Varmepumper er ikke kun til enfamiliehuse, men også i etageejendomme, kontorbygninger, skoler m.m. udenfor fjernvarmeområder. Derfor har Videncentret udgivet en ny energiløsning om, hvordan man konverterer delvist til luft-vandvarmepumpe. Delvis konvertering er relevant, hvis hel konvertering ikke er muligt af forskellige årsagen.

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Åbent webinar om tilpasning af bygningsmodellen

Social- og Boligstyrelsen afholder åbent webinar om tilpasningerne af bygningsmodellen for kravene om bygningers klimapåvirkning, der trådte i kraft 1. januar 2023.

Klimagevinsten ved genbrug kan ikke regnes med i klimakravene - hvorfor dog ikke det?

Man kan opnå et lavere klimaaftryk ved at genbruge byggematerialer fremfor at købe nye. Men hvorfor er der ikke taget højde for det i klimakravenes udformning? Vi har spurgt leder af VCBK, Thilde Fruergaard Astrup.

Dyk ned i 20 cases med eksempler på LCA-beregninger

VCBK's casebibliotek er nu fyldt med 20 cases, der giver dig et indblik i data for konkrete byggerier, og hvordan man laver LCA-beregninger. De 20 cases dækker en lang række forskellige bygningstyper.

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VCBK - Videncenter om Bygningers Klimapåvirkninger

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Åbent webinar om tilpasning af bygningsmodellen Social- og Boligstyrelsen afholder åbent webinar om tilpasningerne af bygningsmodellen for kravene om bygningers klimapåvirkning, der trådte i kraft 1. januar 2023. Klimagevinsten ved genbrug kan ikke regnes med i klimakravene - hvorfor dog ikke det? Man kan opnå et lavere klimaaftryk ved at genbruge byggematerialer fremfor at købe nye.

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Byggeriets regler

Bygningsreglementet udspecificerer byggelovens krav og indeholder de nærmere detaljerede krav, som alle byggearbejder skal leve op til.

Kravene i bygningsreglementet skal sikre, at et byggeri udføres og indrettes, så det er tilfredsstillende i både brand-, sikkerheds- og sundhedsmæssig henseende. Overtrædelse af bygningsreglementet kan medføre straf i form af bøde.

Ifølge tilgængelighedsloven skal offentlige organers websteder og apps være tilgængelige, så de kan bruges af alle, herunder af borgere med handicap.

Klik på linket for at se styrelsens tilgængelighedserklæring for Bygningsreglementet.dk

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Bygningsreglementet udspecificerer byggelovens krav og indeholder de nærmere detaljerede krav, som alle byggearbejder skal leve op til. Kravene i bygningsreglementet skal sikre, at et byggeri udføres og indrettes, så det er tilfredsstillende i både brand-, sikkerheds- og sundhedsmæssig henseende. Overtrædelse af bygningsreglementet kan medføre straf i form af bøde.

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Government follow-up on the Sustainable Development Goals

Denmark shares the vision of our world and planet in 2030 as expressed by the 2030 agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Danish gov-ernment is committed to an ambitious follow-up in the national as well as interna-tional setting. It acknowledges the interdependent and holistic nature of the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda. The government also emphasizes the need for all actors across society to contribute to achieving the SDGs. Denmark is a frontrunner in sustainable development with a universal health care and educational system, gender equality, a generous social safety net, cooperation among social partners, responsible business, clean and efficient energy produc-tion, personal freedom and more. It reflects a long standing Danish tradition of pursuing solutions that are sustainable in the long run.

National Action Plan for the SDGs

The Danish government has, in accordance with the 2030 Agenda, formulated the Action Plan in light of the need to adapt targets to national circumstances. The Action Plan is centered on the 5 P's of prosperity, people, planet, peace and part-nerships. For each of these - except partnerships which are cross cutting - the government has formulated a number of targets (37 in total). They reflect the government's wish to prioritize building on existing positions of strength as well as on areas where improvement is needed. Each target has one or two national indicators, which are in large part measurable and quantifiable, as shown in table 1. Table 1 Examples of national targets and indicators P Targets National indicator(s) Prosperity Strengthen research and ensuring solutions are marketable. Public funding for research at 1 percent of GDP. People Strengthen gender equality between boys and girls in education by reduced gender differences in well being and grades. a. Boys' and girls' grade point average in public school. b. Results of the National Survey on Well Being. Planet Sustainable food. a. Household food waste. b. Ressource productivity in the food sector. Peace Maintain Denmark's position among least corrupt countries in the world. Transparency International ranking.

The government already assesses the economic, environmental and gender conse-quences of new legislation. As part of the Action Plan the government will hence-forth also assess the consequences of new legislation and major initiatives for the SDGs, when considered relevant in a Danish context and where the impact is significant.

The government will present an annual progress report on the Action Plan to Parliament as well as a quadrennial status report on the Action Plan to be dis-cussed in Parliament. The Danish statistical bureau will produce a yearly statistical report to be sent to the UN as an input to the global progress report.

Partnerships

The Danish government is committed to developing and strengthening partner-ships as an essential part of the achievement of the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda. The government acknowledges and welcomes the effort of other actors in society in contributing to the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. The government and its re-spective ministers are continually looking to engage with other actors. The gov-ernment is reflecting on possible modalities for a partnership platform in Den-mark.

Division of responsibilities

The Ministry of Finance is responsible for the coordination of the national im-plementation of the SDGs. The policy expertise, however, are placed in the line ministries who are responsible for designing policies with attention to the SDGs, when relevant. The Ministry of Finance is responsible for the EU follow-up in order to maintain a holistic approach and create linkages to the national follow-up. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for the SDGs in the context of the United Nations and other international fora. The Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Foreign Affairs maintain a close coordination of efforts.

Next Steps

The Danish government will focus on the implementation and follow up of the 37 targets set forth in the Action Plan. The government will continue work on assessing new legislation on the SDGs and reflect further on a partnership plat-form. The government will also launch reflection work on the progress report on the Action Plan to be presented in 2018 for the first time.

Global Engagement

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs shape Denmark's global engagement, and Denmark's foreign, trade and security policy contribute directly and indirectly to achieving the SDGs. The SDGs constitute the platform for Danish development cooperation and humanitarian action as reflected in the new strategy, "The World 2030". Different SDGs are prioritised in different country contexts. At the same time Denmark acknowledges that the SDGs are interdependent.

Denmark has since 1978 provided more than 0,7 percent of GNI in development assistance and hence lived up to the United Nations target, which continues to be a priority for the Danish government. Page 3 of 4

Annex 1. Civil society, business, municipalities, youth, academics

Civil society

Members of the civil society platforms the Danish 92 Group and Global Focus;

Have been following the development of the SDGs closely for several years and are highly engaged and committed to the implementation of the goals in Denmark and globally. The SDGs are integrated in strategies and work plans of Danish CSOs and in their activities nationally and globally, including national awareness raising and work with different stakeholders.

Have dedicated themselves - and will contribute further - to the SDG mobilization among stakeholders in relation to policy coordination, policy recommendations and multi-stakeholder dialogue. Danish CSOs were the main driver behind the first multi-stakeholder meeting in Denmark.

Will continue to follow the Danish government's delivery on its commitments towards the SDGs in Denmark closely and in Denmark's foreign diplomatic, policy and financial engagements, including ongoing advocacy for increased ambitions in the Danish Action Plan.

Business

The Danish business community welcomes and supports the SDGs. We will;

Contribute by playing our part in achieving the goals.

Seek opportunities for business growth both nationally and internationally.

Include the goals in business priorities and business development.

Communicate our progress and share learnings when feasible.

Collaborate in partnerships with stakeholders to achieve sustainable solutions.

Recommend the Danish Government to support responsible business and awareness about SDG's.

Municipalities

Regions and municipalities are responsible for delivering the vast majority of all public services in Denmark. Spending around 70 pct. of Denmark's public budget, regions and municipalities are essential partners to achieve the UN Sustainable Devel-opment Goals for 2030. Danish municipalities and regions hold key roles, as;

Public authorities in the fields of social services, education, health, environment and technology.

Administrators of essential physical infrastructure and utilities as well as climate measures (CO2-reduction and adapta-tion).

Central facilitators of partnerships and of development and growth - both in civil society and in businesses.

Developers and administrators of much of the data that can be used as indicators for achieving the SDGs.

A link between the local and the global - from citizen involvement to international development collaborations

Youth

State of youth in civil society: Danish youth organisations and CSOs working with youth enjoy an enabling space and good structural conditions, as well as a long tradition of civil involvement. This results in a wide range of activities for youth and a relatively high degree of involvement, political participation, and influence. However, there are still pro-spects in securing the full inclusion of vulnerable and marginalized youth.

SDG-awareness and implementation: There is relatively high awareness among Danish youth on the SDG-agenda and youth CSOs are increasingly promoting and working with the agenda. The strategic framework can be strengthened by additions to school curricula, and there remains untapped potential within the youth sector for implementing and incor-porating the agenda into their organisational activities.

Monitoring and coordination: A comprehensive mechanism has yet to be developed for monitoring youth progress on the SDG agenda nationally and for coordinating efforts between youth actors within the framework of Agenda 2030.

Academic institutions

Pursue research and capacity development going beyond 'silo' thinking and focus on the links and synergies between the SDG goals and targets.

Study the trend towards rising inequality and the extent to which current policies exacerbate it.

Analyze how the SDG targets, deadlines, and a gap analysis could better inform Danish SDG implementation.

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Denmark .:. Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform

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Government follow-up on the Sustainable Development Goals Denmark shares the vision of our world and planet in 2030 as expressed by the 2030 agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Danish gov-ernment is committed to an ambitious follow-up in the national as well as interna-tional setting.

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Høring: Forslag til lov om ændring af lov om fremme af vedvarende energi, biobrændstofloven, lov om naturgasforsyning og forskellige andre love

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I Klima-, Energi- og Forsyningsministeriet arbejder vi for et energisystem i verdensklasse, der understøtter vækst og holdbar omstilling.

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The Danish Council on Climate Change is an independent body of experts which exists because Denmark and the rest of the EU have a political objective to reduce CO2 emissions by 80-95% by 2050. The Danish Council on Climate Change advises on how Denmark can most effectively and cost-effectively undertake the transition to a low-carbon economy by 2050. That is to say a resource-efficient society with an energy supply based on renewable energy with markedly lower greenhouse gas emissions from other sectors.

The Danish Council on Climate Change contributes with solid, professional recommendations based on independent analyses which have as their foundation the overall objective for 2050. To achieve this goal it is necessary to look at ways of reducing greenhouse gas emissions throughout society over the next 35 years. In this regard it is important to set targets which identify ways forward. Therefore, the Danish Council on Climate Change investigates what the best solutions are for Denmark in the short, medium and long term in relation to Denmark's security of supply, competitiveness and opportunities for continued growth and development for the benefit of citizens' welfare.

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About the Danish Council on Climate Change

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The Danish Council on Climate Change is an independent body of experts which exists because Denmark and the rest of the EU have a political objective to reduce CO2 emissions by 80-95% by 2050. The Danish Council on Climate Change advises on how Denmark can most effectively and cost-effectively undertake the transition to a low-carbon economy by 2050.

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The Danish Enviromental Protection Agency

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Information on Danish low emission zones

From October 2023 passenger cars are included in low emission zones

Consumer and consumer products

Consumer programs have been an integrated part of the danish chemical action plans of since year 2000

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The Danish Enviromental Protection Agency

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Bioconcrete - Sustainable and decontaminant low pH concrete

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Bioconcrete - Sustainable and decontaminant low pH concrete

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BIOCONCRETE Sustainable and decontaminant low-pH concrete v.3 N

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Biovalvo Experimental Building v.4 (A Coruña) N

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ECOCEM - low-carbon cement based products

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ECOCEM - low-carbon cement based products

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ECOCEM Low-carbon cement based products v.3 N

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Impulso Verde building and neighbourhood

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Impulso Verde building and neighbourhood

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MASUHI Application of hydrophobic coatings on asphalt pavements

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MASUHI Application of hydrophobic coatings on asphalt pavements

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MASUHI Application of hydrophobic coatings on asphalt pavements v.3 N

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Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay