The committee is responsible for the development of horizontal standardized methods for the assessment of the sustainability aspects of new and existing construction works (buildings and civil engineering works) in the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and of the circular economy. The methodological basis will be developed in the context of current needs, European strategies, such as mitigation, adaptation and resilience to climate change, and life cycle thinking.
The standards describe coherent methodologies for the assessment of sustainability of construction works covering the assessment of environmental, social and economic performance (aspect and impacts) of buildings and civil engineering works, and the provision of construction product environmental information (EPD).
This covers:
- Environmental performance assessment; circularity principles (the circular economy in the construction sector), energy efficiency and decarbonization, sustainable use of resources (resource efficiency, waste minimization), protection of the environment and biodiversity;
- Social performance assessment; health and comfort, safety and security, adaptability and accessibility in response to user needs, resilience against external events such impact of climate change, sourcing of materials;
- Economic performance assessment; life cycle cost, whole life costs and impact on economic value, ‘green finance’ initiatives (taxonomy)
- The implementation of the standards in response to trends in digitalization (e,g. BIM, CAD).
Note: The committee is also entrusted with an advisory function to CEN committees to ensure the effective implementation of horizontal core rules regarding the development a specific Product Category Rules based on EN 15804.