Cembureau members look to pilot test new EC building assessment framework
Three member-companies of Cembureau, the European Cement Association, have successfully completed a pilot test of the European Commission's new building assessment framework, Level(s).
Level(s) is a voluntary building assessment framework covering six broad areas: greenhouse-gas emissions, resource use, water use, healthy and comfortable spaces, resilience to climate change, and life-cycle cost.
The buildings tested by Cembureau's members were a sustainable single-family housing development in Waterford, UK, by CRH, as well as a social housing development in Saint-Nazaire, France, by LafargeHolcim, and the new HeidelbergCement headquarters in Heidelberg, Germany.
The testers made concrete proposals for improvement of the framework, such as providing greater encouragement and guidance to users of Level(s) to assess carbonation of concrete (a property whereby CO2 from the air is absorbed by concrete during and after its life), as well as the contribution of thermal mass (a property whereby heavyweight materials absorb and release heat) to energy efficiency and comfort.
