Practice Guide for Sustainable Building Sanitation and Modernisation within Construction Intents

Status

finished

Summary

Goal and Motivation

The goal is to promote acceptance, technical and organisational support and an implementation-oriented base for sustainable sanitation and modernisation intents for the structural engineering, in a widely comprehensive, transparent and user-friendly form.

Nowadays, we are witnessing a sanitation boom in its beginning. Approximately one third of the Austrians live in accommodations due to sanitation or renovation [Linzer Market Institut]. In Austria, estimated 30 billion Euro will be invested for building sanitation [Bauen und Umwelt, Krems]. This prospective economical impulse should stay at the same time for an impulse towards an enhanced employment of sustainable construction materials and technologies for building sanitation. Here, a practice-oriented tool is needed that will for acceptance and wide implementation of measures within sanitation, reinstatement and modernisation based on sustainable criteria.

The variety of numerous indicators and evaluation methods is well-known to the actors dealing with this subject. The challenge of investing a significant amount of these 30 billion Euro in sustainable sanitation will thus not fail for reasons of methods or criteria lacking. For implementing sustainable sanitation strategies in the construction branch, all actors need to be involved in the planning and construction process and to be sensibilised for this subject. The variety of available tools offers an excellent starting point. The existing knowledge is to be processed in a manner allowing for a widest possible dissemination of the subject, and the actors involved should be given a closer understanding of the economical, social and environmental benefit of sustainable sanitation. The marketing of the subject of sustainability is to be transferred onto the levels of public health, welfare, job market and added value as well.

Approach

The goal will be achieved by means of a practice guide on sustainable building sanitation and modernisation within construction intents. The guide maps through a typical sanitation process over quality control issues ranked upon priority and actors. Involving the actors into the project progress represents a significant milestone for future acceptance, and thus wide application of the guide.

State of the Art

The criteria to regard and the indicators and methods, available as well as construction materials, constructions and building objects existing have reached a considerably high number. Within the research field of "sustainable building construction", respectively, "sustainable building sanitation", the focus of research activities is set on the three levels of economy, ecology and sociology. A majority of projects in the field of ecology concentrates on the issue of "energy saving". The fundamental research has marked a significant progress. Result implementation and connecting all involved actors are the issues that currently offer the challenge. Practice guides facilitating criteria implementation have been developed mainly for construction of new buildings, and partly for sanitation intents.

The task is thus to enable the local implementation of the ambitious theoretical goals by applying the knowledge currently available as a base, and to link scientific work and construction practice. The practice guide to be delivered within this project is to extensively this process. In addition to the available literature, the guide will offer new approaches gained from element balances. Further, the guide will particularly consider the design, planning and construction phases of architects and civil engineers in terms of achieving sustainable goals as well.

Steps towards the Goal

The single work steps are:

• Registration of structures in social, economical and constructional terms
• Registration of the actors
• Registration and development of indicators and tools
• Elaboration of construction and design elements
• Elaboration of illustrative and practical examples
• Design of the guide
• Experts workshop
• Review of the guide
• Stakeholder workshop
• Completion of the guide
• PR work (events, etc.)

Results

The resulting guideline contains the following information:

• Construction stadium
• Quality control checkpoints
• Goal and application definition
• Actors involved and in-charge - task sharing and ranges
• References on indicators and tools
• Comments, explanations and practical examples
• Option for application feedback
• Literature and address lists for further information

Project manager:
Dipl. Ing. Richard Obernosterer
Ressourcen Management Agentur

Partners:
ZT Büro Pock
Technikum Kärnten ForschungsgesellschaftmbH

Contact

Ressourcen Management Agentur
Dipl. Ing. Richard Obernosterer
tpv - Technologiepark Villach, Europastrasse 8
Tel.: +Fax: +43 (0)4242 90033210
E-Mail: richard.obernosterer@rma.at