Sustainability elements in the Danish Building Regulations

The general framework for new buildings in Denmark is set by the Danish Building Regulations. The building sector experienced a growing market demand for buildings with sustainability standards above the Building Regulations level and therefore the voluntary sustainable building certification system with the national adaptation, DGNB system Denmark, was launched in 2012. The Danish Energy Agency, which is the authority responsible for the Danish Building Regulations, wished to assess how well sustainability aspects were already covered by the Danish Building Regulations and what central sustainability aspects were lacking in order to ensure sustainable development of buildings in Denmark. The results of the assessment carried out in year 2013 showed that many sustainability elements are already incorporated, but it also clearly indicated the need for greater efforts, particularly in relation to information through practical guidelines and the development of national tools.

This paper provides an overview of the sustainability elements already included in the Danish Building Regulations and to what extent they are covered. Furthermore, it includes an overview of the elements that were pointed out in the assessment as elements that should be included in the regulations in order to ensure holistic sustainable development based on a balance between envi-ronmental, social and economic sustainability. The paper concludes with a brief update on current actions towards a more sustainable development in the Danish Building Regulations.