The first few months of 2020 presented a great deal of progress when it comes to Life Level(s) project and the successful development of its actions. Armed with ambitious goals of raising the awareness of the use of specified indicators within the Level(s) framework such as Life cycle assessment (LCA), Life cycle costing (LCC) and Indoor air quality (IAQ), the actions within the project are stepping towards developing the backdrop for the implementation of key Level(s) indicators Europe-wide.
LifeLevel(s) Action B1
With the start of project Action B.1, the steps towards linking Europe’s main Green Building Rating tools to Level(s) key indicators are being made. Executed by DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council), the B1 Action looks to integrate Level(s) components into existing rating schemes, therefore encouraging the uptake of these indicators in the markets where these rating tools operate. In order to achieve that, relevant green rating schemes which should be linked to Level(s) needed to be selected according to the criteria of maturity, regional coverage, activity level, future potential and conformity with relevant European standards.
Step two of the Action B.1 meant the completion of the mapping procedure to be used in assessing compliance of green building rating schemes with Level(s). With a precise mapping tool developed by DGNB, the conformity level, detailed for LCA, LCC and IAQ, could be assessed, based on the compliance of rating schemes with Level(s).
LifeLevel(s) Action B.2
To achieve everything set out by the project, the assessment and development of quality data is required. In that regard, Irish Green Building Council, the leading beneficiary on Action B.2, kicked off the coming period with the analysis of the existing data that meets the requirements of Level(s), and the existence of Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) programmes and how such data is accessed when it comes to construction products and materials. Particular work of the B.2 Action will be directed towards the development of recommendations to drive uptake of EPD, focused on improving the quality of data in countries where Life Cycle Assessment is not yet mainstream.
For those countries where there is insufficient or no generic data on the environmental impact of construction products, recommendations will be made on the most suitable available data to be used directly or data which could potentially be adapted for use.
As the Life Level(s) project actions keep unfolding and the next ones such as B.3 looming behind the corner, Life Level(s) partners are proud of the progress in mainstreaming sustainable buildings across Europe.
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