Level(s) - European framework for Sustainable Buildings

Virginijus Sinkevičius, EU Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, provided an overview of the development of the Commission’s new tool designed to help the building and construction sector at the Joint Sustainability Conference on 21 April 2021. Titled ‘Level(s)’, this tool brings together expertise from many areas, developed by architects, engineers, product manufacturers, construction companies, investors and certifiers to improve design and make buildings part of the circular economy.

Level(s) provides a common language for assessing and reporting on the sustainability performance of buildings. It is a simple entry point for applying circular economy principles in our built environment. 

Level(s) uses core sustainability indicators to measure carbon, materials, water, health, comfort and climate change impacts throughout a building’s full life cycle. It is a flexible solution for identifying sustainability hotspots and for future-proofing your project or portfolio. By using Level(s) you are contributing to EU policy goals to strengthen the sustainability of Europe’s buildings, which are responsible for:

• 1/2 of all extracted materials
• 1/2 of total energy consumption
• 1/3 of water consumption
• 1/3 of waste generation.

Level(s) is open source and freely available to all, further information is available here.