The Nordic Reference Group meeting for Sustainable Construction took place in the Danish Housing and Planning Authority. The day started with an inspirational presentation drawing on existing experiences on how to harmonize regulation. A key take away from this presentation was that harmonization of rules is not easy, but all the Nordic countries are working hard to develop new legislation or approaches to move towards a more sustainable construction and despite our differences we have many similarities, hence when we share knowledge regularly we increase the chances of aligning our approaches and methodologies going forward.
The rest of the day was filled with updates on each of the work packages. Work Package 5 - Secretariat and Capacity building activities - launched the programme’s website www.nordicsustainableconstruction.com, the new Linkedin profile and the Twitter account encouraging all who are interested in Sustainable Construction to follow the channels and spread the word as these channels will be an opportunity to get access to the knowledge and experiences gained in the programme.
Work Package 4 – Emission-Free Construction Sites - shared their upcoming work focusing on a report which will clarify definitions, boundaries and terminology. Furthermore the Icelandic delegation shared knowledge from their public private cooperation: Building a Greener Future 2030 with 75 initiatives.
Work Package 3 – SUSTAINORDIC, Sustainable Construction Materials and Architecture - shared their upcoming activities aiming to spur the debate about what is sustainable construction materials and the role of architecture across the Nordic democracy festivals and the New European Bauhaus festival in Bruxelles.
Work Package 2 - Circular Business models & Procurement - informed about the upcoming training webinars and the Smart City Network, with a special commitment from Tampere, Stavanger and Tórshavn who will work to develop sustainable and circular construction planning processes and buildings.
Work Package 1 - Nordic Harmonization of Life Cycle Assessment – shared the current status of harmonization including what information had been shared and discussed and what was in the pipeline.
The day finished off with a walk to Jernbanebyen with an inspirational presentation by EFFEKT architects sharing the experiences they have gained and the tools they have developed working with the project Living Places. Read about it here..