New guide shows ways to sustainable buildings
Sustainable building and climate renovation bring many benefits for users, owners and society in general. A new guide from the organisation Sustainia presents sound arguments for doing so – and backs them up with facts and cases.
It makes financial sense for investors. It frees up resources in both public and private companies. It creates jobs. It boosts productivity. And it is good for the environment, the climate and people's quality of life. Sustainable renovation and newbuilding provide the answers to many of the challenges that companies and society are facing.
This is evident in the first sector guide compiled by Sustainia, an international alliance of companies and organisations working to promote sustainable solutions.
The guide was written in collaboration with the think tank Monday Morning and a group of Sustainia partners − including the VELUX Group, DONG Energy, The Municipality of Copenhagen and Realdania. The work with the guide revealed that the potential in sustainable building is far greater than is generally understood today, explains Lone Feifer, Project Director in the VELUX Group.
"The building sector has made great progress in developing sustainable solutions and is thus equipped to extend the concept of sustainability to existing buildings in particular. But we have also seen the need to collate and structure our knowledge and the solutions that are used – and in a simple and understandable way. So we hope that the guide will inspire people to build sustainable and show the way to a future society with quality of life at the centre," says Lone Feifer.
Higher quality of life
It is well documented that taking steps towards energy efficiency pays off – and even produces savings in annual operating costs. But the benefits do not stop here, according to the sector guide. Investment in sustainable renovation can be recalculated in great value creation, through factors such as higher productivity and better conditions for job satisfaction and learning ability.
The sector guide is based on seven concrete and well-documented advantages of sustainable building: increased productivity, better health, growth creation, energy saving, conversion of waste to resources, revitalisation of urban districts and better yields on investment than traditional building.
But the guide also points out that there are hurdles to be overcome. Sustainable building is perceived as being much more expensive than it actually is. This may be because the advantages of sustainable building seldom become apparent if investment in sustainable building is considered only in the short-term rather than in a life cycle perspective.
After publication of the guide on 10 October, it will be available at www.sustainia.me.
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About the VELUX Group
The VELUX Group creates better living environments with daylight and fresh air through the roof. The VELUX product programme contains a wide range of roof windows and skylights, along with solutions for flat roofs. The Group also supplies many types of decoration and sun screening, roller shutters, installation products, products for remote control and thermal solar collectors for installation in roofs. The VELUX Group, which has manufacturing companies in 11 countries and sales companies in just under 40 countries, represents one of the strongest brands in the global building materials sector and its products are sold in most parts of the world. The VELUX Group has about 10,000 employees and is owned by VKR Holding A/S, a limited company wholly owned by foundations and family. For more details, visit www.velux.com.