SREEC – Standards for Ressource Efficient and Ecological Construction

AI Quick Summary

Building codes, standards and regulations are guiding the building design, construction and operation, ensuring quality and safety. At the same time, advancing individual codes or regulations along one dimension/discipline can lead to a poorer performance along another dimension. Because of this challenge, this project is targeting building standards and regulations and tries to identify the impact of individual codes on the overarching systemic challenge of resource efficient and ecological construction · As a response to the ongoing climate change and our great demand for natural ressources in the construction sector we have to define new ways of building our buildings and cities. Construction has to use less resources and it needs to become more circular. Besides technical and cost related challenges there are further challenges from a regulatory side regarding the implementation of ressource efficient construction. One important regulatory framework for construction is the national standards and codes. They define requirements for construction in order to guarantee high levels of security and reproducable quality. While providing clear boundaries for construction, standards can also become a challenge and even a show stopper for advanced or ecological construction. This is because individual standards, regarding only a specific domain, are continuously tightened to further increase the safety, comfort, rigour within this very domain without looking at the effect on a system level, i.e. the compound effect. This project thus addresses this challenges and is proposing ways to better guide the further development of standards, codes and regulations towards resource efficient and ecological construction.· Customers are among others, the Swiss Association for Architects and Engineers (SIA), building labels, regulators and representatives at the cantonal (AWEL) and communal level who are responsible for the definition, development, publication and enforcement of codes, standards and regulations for the construction sector. Both, SIA or AWEL as a representative on cantonal level will benefit directly from an analysis and a support tool for the harmonization and further development of the compilation of standards and regulations, supporting resource efficienct and ecological construction. Further beneficiaries are the architects and planning engineers applying the codes as well as the customers, i.e. the building owners and investors, getting a more sustainable building product.· The consortium involves as the main academic partner, members of ZHAW, School of Architecture, Design and Civil Engineering, dedicating their research to the goal of resource-efficient and sustainable construction. In this project they will have the lead and coordination task along the research work of performing an impact analysis for a set of codes, standards and regulations. Further, Empa is represented with NEST, a research, development and demonstration environment for advanced, sustainable construction. With NEST, Empa is building owner of a number of highly experimental buildings that are challenging the current state-of-the-art of construction and eventually also existing standards and regulations. As a representative of Canton of Zurich, AWEL is also part of the consortium, supporting on the level of regulations and with contacts to dedicated specialist departments. SIA, although not formally involved as applicant, is informed about this project, judges it as a relevant contribution and is willing to informally support it.· The motivation for the project is the specific need of a harmonized portfolio of building standards, codes and regulations to remove potential hurdles by identifying regulatory conflicts and enable resource efficient and ecological construction. Its impact is hence along this dimension and will foster more sustainable construction with comensurate greenhouse gas emission reductions in this sector.· The idea of harmonizing and developing a sustainability-compliant set of standards, codes and regulations and a possible support tool has not been tested so far. But from practice experience, a clear need could be identified, confirming the validity of the idea. Many examples for developments in codes or regulations that are hindering resource-efficient construction can thus be given to demonstrate this need: E.g., Switzerland adopting Eurocodes for structural engineering further reducing flexibility in structural design; requirements of acoustics becoming decisive for dimensioning of slabs rather than structural criteria; building envelope insulation level for improved energy performance but adverse effect on embodied emissions; greening of flat roofs for biodiversity reasons (even in green areas) while there is a lack of building-level photovoltaic being implemented.- The following work will be done with the consequent output: The build-up of an alliance/extended consortium, the analysis of major leverages in standardization and regulation based on an impact model, the definition of an action plan, the feasibility assessment and sketch of possible services and a support tool for the development process towards more sustainable standards and regulations. · The applicants would benefit from the booster through finances to kickstart the initial idea, gain industry contacts and get inputs from related/international projects, enable interviews with experts from different fields, identify sources for further financing

Project Idea Metadata

Project Idea Name: SREEC – Standards for Ressource Efficient and Ecological Construction
Date: 9/2/2022 4:20:17 PM
Administrators:
- CBI Booster

Project Idea Description

· As a response to the ongoing climate change and our great demand for natural ressources in the construction sector we have to define new ways of building our buildings and cities. Construction has to use less resources and it needs to become more circular. Besides technical and cost related challenges there are further challenges from a regulatory side regarding the implementation of ressource efficient construction. One important regulatory framework for construction is the national standards and codes. They define requirements for construction in order to guarantee high levels of security and reproducable quality. While providing clear boundaries for construction, standards can also become a challenge and even a show stopper for advanced or ecological construction. This is because individual standards, regarding only a specific domain, are continuously tightened to further increase the safety, comfort, rigour within this very domain without looking at the effect on a system level, i.e. the compound effect. This project thus addresses this challenges and is proposing ways to better guide the further development of standards, codes and regulations towards resource efficient and ecological construction.

· Customers are among others, the Swiss Association for Architects and Engineers (SIA), building labels, regulators and representatives at the cantonal (AWEL) and communal level who are responsible for the definition, development, publication and enforcement of codes, standards and regulations for the construction sector. Both, SIA or AWEL as a representative on cantonal level will benefit directly from an analysis and a support tool for the harmonization and further development of the compilation of standards and regulations, supporting resource efficienct and ecological construction. Further beneficiaries are the architects and planning engineers applying the codes as well as the customers, i.e. the building owners and investors, getting a more sustainable building product.

· The consortium involves as the main academic partner, members of ZHAW, School of Architecture, Design and Civil Engineering, dedicating their research to the goal of resource-efficient and sustainable construction. In this project they will have the lead and coordination task along the research work of performing an impact analysis for a set of codes, standards and regulations. Further, Empa is represented with NEST, a research, development and demonstration environment for advanced, sustainable construction. With NEST, Empa is building owner of a number of highly experimental buildings that are challenging the current state-of-the-art of construction and eventually also existing standards and regulations. As a representative of Canton of Zurich, AWEL is also part of the consortium, supporting on the level of regulations and with contacts to dedicated specialist departments. SIA, although not formally involved as applicant, is informed about this project, judges it as a relevant contribution and is willing to informally support it.

· The motivation for the project is the specific need of a harmonized portfolio of building standards, codes and regulations to remove potential hurdles by identifying regulatory conflicts and enable resource efficient and ecological construction. Its impact is hence along this dimension and will foster more sustainable construction with comensurate greenhouse gas emission reductions in this sector.

· The idea of harmonizing and developing a sustainability-compliant set of standards, codes and regulations and a possible support tool has not been tested so far. But from practice experience, a clear need could be identified, confirming the validity of the idea. Many examples for developments in codes or regulations that are hindering resource-efficient construction can thus be given to demonstrate this need: E.g., Switzerland adopting Eurocodes for structural engineering further reducing flexibility in structural design; requirements of acoustics becoming decisive for dimensioning of slabs rather than structural criteria; building envelope insulation level for improved energy performance but adverse effect on embodied emissions; greening of flat roofs for biodiversity reasons (even in green areas) while there is a lack of building-level photovoltaic being implemented.

- The following work will be done with the consequent output: The build-up of an alliance/extended consortium, the analysis of major leverages in standardization and regulation based on an impact model, the definition of an action plan, the feasibility assessment and sketch of possible services and a support tool for the development process towards more sustainable standards and regulations.

· The applicants would benefit from the booster through finances to kickstart the initial idea, gain industry contacts and get inputs from related/international projects, enable interviews with experts from different fields, identify sources for further financing