The document outlines initiatives led by the five Nordic prime ministers focusing on sustainable growth in the construction sector through three main projects: a decision support tool for refurbishment, classification of indoor environments, and environmental product declarations. Each project includes specific parameters and indicators to promote sustainability and quality in building practices and aims to establish a framework for a sustainable construction industry. The text emphasizes the need for collaboration among EU member states and acknowledges the slow but necessary shift towards sustainability in construction.

1. Organizedby:
Promotedby:
Withtheparticipationof:
The Nordic region as a standard maker
Nordic Innovation, Norway
Trudsoe, Erling

2. The Nordic region as a standard maker
Correct-wearemovingforward!
Latein 2011 the fiveNordic Prime Ministers from Sweden, Norway, Finland, Icelandand Denmark decidedto makea movein threeareasunder the headingGreen Growth:
Project 1(Norway)
Decision support tool and indicator requirements for sustainable refurbishment.
Project 2(Denmark)
Indoor Environment —Classification of the indoor environment in office buildings, schools, kindergartens and residential buildings.
Project 3(Finland)
Environmental Product Declarations for:
•factory made and in-situ formed thermal insulation products,
•structural steel products.

3. The Nordic region as a standard maker
Project 1:
Model
A model based on a flowchart in five steps.
First: whether to refurbish or not,
Second: to determine status and prioritize measures for best sustainability,
Third: planning the demolition,
Fourth: the new construction process,
Fifth: guidelines for maintenance of the building in its use stages.
Indicators
Each step has its own set of indicators.
It is left to the individual user or local regulation to further specify the final indicator and the level for grading the indicators.
Grading
The grading system is general for all the steps.
Class 1 is the best: as good as todays regulation,
Class 4 is the poorest class -a threat to health and safety.

4. The Nordic region as a standard maker
Project 2:
Factors
The selected parameters are:
ventilation rate, CO2contentin indoor air, thermalconditions, radon, formaldehyde, hazardouschemicals, particlesand fibres, microbes, dampnessand mould, daylightand artificiallightingand finally, acousticsand noise.
Building categories
Building categories: (1) offices, (2) schools, kindergartens and other childcare institutions, and (3) residential buildings.
Result
The result of the classification is presented in a report, stating the measured values and the evaluations for each parameter. It is not a design tool.
Classes
Four indoor environment quality classes, where class 1 is the best class and class 4 is the poorest class.

5. The Nordic region as a standard maker
Project 3:
Deliverables
Two proposals as Nordic contributions for Product Category Rules (CPR) at European level in CEN.
Products
•Factory made and in-situ formed thermal insulation.
•Structural steel products for use in construction works.
Use
To be translated into essential product performance characteristics and later into Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) based on the framework of EN 15804, in the relevant technical committees in the CEN.

6. The Nordic region as a standard maker
We should not forget the three coloumns in sustainability:
Economic –Environmental –Social
Sofar –for many good reasons –there has been much focus on energy savings and CO2 reductions.
Next in line will be the focus on BWR No. 7, waste and resources.
But why do we build..?

7. The Nordic region as a standard maker
Because...
We need to protect ourselves from nature’s forces and bad habits and to make room for working, learning, sleeping...and living.
Our civil engineerings works are like the glue that make societies stick together and enable us to co-operate.
The need for co-operation in EU will not lessen for many years ahead.

8. The Nordic region as a standard maker
But are EU member states also moving?
Some are.
One example is the royal decrees from Belgiumestablishing threshold levels for the emissions to the indoor environment from construction products.
...and in the same direction?
Most probably not!
But after all there seems to be a general notion that sustanbility in the construction sector has arrived and will not go away.

9. The Nordic region as a standard maker
A numberbenefitsfor EU members, businessesand society in the global arena with increasingdemandfor energy and scarceresources.
•Upgradingof ourEU buildingstock,
•Exportsto otherparts of the world, wherethereis an increasingawarenessof environmental challenges,
•New business opportunities,
•Creation of new job opportunities.

10. The Nordic region as a standard maker
Rome was not built in a day.
[An English translation of a French saying from around 1190 AD]
... and similarly sustainability will not be deeply rooted in the legal framework or in the day-to-day operations in all EU member states in a day.
However, change –and sustainabilily –has been around since the beginning of times. Sometimes we tend to forget this.
We are in a process of re-leaning and understanding sustainability.

11. The Nordic region as a standard maker
But let’s be optimistic!
....one day we will have built our Rome!