Head of Division: Harpa Birgisdottir

The division works on the sustainability assessment of buildings, including certification and voluntary sustainability class. The division has a special focus on improving the environmental profile of buildings through the use of life cycle assessments (LCA) in the construction industry through our tool for the industry, LCAbyg. We support the construction sector’s opportunities to contribute to achieving the necessary climate goals, environmental sustainability, and circular economy.

Need for new knowledge
Today, LCA calculations show that building materials are more environmentally harmful than the building’s energy use over its life cycle. The building materials, therefore, contain great potential concerning the climate, environment, and resources, and new knowledge is needed on how this harm can be reduced.

To achieve greater sustainability in construction, which can be achieved through certification, municipal requirements, procurement requirements, and the upcoming voluntary sustainability class in the building regulations, it is necessary to keep up to date with the latest knowledge and participate in the development of sustainability assessments at Nordic, European, and international levels.

Research Efforts
The division researches how to reduce the environmental profiles of building materials and of entire buildings in the context of an overall sustainability assessment. We do this by examining the effects of sensible material choices, developing design strategies, and testing the effect of circular economics in construction. We also investigate the best methods to renovate existing buildings. In addition, we examine the total building stock and carry out analyses and demonstration projects where we demonstrate that significant reductions can be achieved in practice.

• Sustainability assessment of buildings
• Life cycle assessment (LCA)
• Circular economy
• Materials and design strategies
• Climate change impact
• Embodied carbon

Cooperation
The research division collaborates with the Danish authorities, the construction industry, and international research institutions.

Application
The research results are translated into tools, guidance, and teaching, targeting all construction industry players. Here, the complexity of sustainability, LCA, and circular economics is communicated through publications, and LCA calculations are made available to a larger target group through our tool, LCAbyg, on which BUILD courses for professionals are held. The research is also used in the work on building regulations to define the future requirements for LCA.