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News article31 March 2023

European Commission DG CLIMA: Guidance on climate adaptation of buildings

A collection and summary of methods, specifications, best practices and guidance for the construction and renovation of buildings, specifically relating to climate change adaptation and resilience

The European Commission Directorate-General for Climate Action (EC DG CLIMA) has issued the report “EU-level technical guidance on adapting buildings to climate change”. It collects and synthesises existing methods, specifications, best practices and guidance for the construction and renovation of buildings into two documents, namely a Technical guidance and a Best practice guidance.

The Technical guidance presents an overview on policies and standards – including the Eurocodes and their forthcoming Second Generation – relating to adaptation and climate resilience in buildings, as well as the main ways and approaches to assess climate vulnerability, risk and resilience of buildings.

The Best practice guidance contains practical solutions and case studies that:

  • provide technical guidance on climate-adaptation measures for both new and existing buildings, across the different climatic zones of Europe.
  • present adaptation solutions for the climate risks that most affect the built environment.
  • demonstrate the actions that can be taken to improve building performance; this includes strategies for owners, operators, users, policy makers, engineers, architects and insurers.

This EU-level guidance can provide practical advice for professionals, and is also a contribution towards the integration of the principle of climate resilience of buildings into the implementation of EU Green Deal initiatives – such as the Renovation Wave, the New European Bauhaus, the Climate Adaptation Strategy, the revisions of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and of the Construction Products Regulation, the Level(s) sustainability framework for buildings, Green Public Procurement, the Construction Transition Pathway, the EU taxonomy for sustainable activities, and EU funding programmes such as the Recovery and Resilience Facility, InvestEU, and regional funding.

A promotional video and a dedicated webpage (where the guidance files can be downloaded too) are available at the links below.

Details

Publication date
31 March 2023
Not associated with a specific Eurocode
Not associated with a specific Eurocode

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