Healthy and sustainable buildings

At the VELUX Group, we wish to lead the change towards healthy and sustainable buildings. For our take on a sustainable building we use 'the home' as the point of departure as a home has an extended range of applicable sustainability parameters compared to other building types (e.g. darkness at night). We believe that a sustainable home must be designed for people, for increased energy efficiency and with care for the environment and we build on existing building legislation, scientific knowledge and established external standards such as LEED and DGNB.

For people

Sustainable homes must be designed or renovated for improved health and wellbeing, empowering users with the freedom to live their lives as they prefer and encouraging healthy choices through good design.

1. Homes must have good daylight levels, sunlight exposure, darkness at night and light from above where needed.
2. Homes must have fresh air year-round. High levels of moisture are avoided through proper ventilation. Indoor sources of particles and chemicals are minimised.
3. Homes must provide means to prevent overheating. Variations in light levels and temperature over the day and season is an advantage for health.
4. Noise from building installations is minimal, especially in bedrooms.

For the environment

Sustainable homes must have a low carbon footprint (i.e. a low level of embodied carbon and life-time emissions) and can be based on principles of circularity. Homes should be made of individual components that are chosen for durability and a high level of material efficiency.

1. Certification according to voluntary performance-based certification schemes (e.g. Active House and DGNB) can contribute to reduced environmental impact.
2. The carbon footprint (embodied carbon and lifetime emissions) is a key indicator for homes, and global warming potential (GWP) should be used as main parameter.
3. Homes must have a high material efficiency by using recycled or upcycled materials. Raw materials are sourced responsibly, and certified materials are preferred.
4. Homes must be designed to be flexible and adaptable, to allow disassembly and to meet increasing expectations for circularity at end-of-life.

For minimal energy consumption

Sustainable homes must carry the Energy Efficiency First principle as the principle is essential for homes to perform well on both sustainability and energy. Energy demand criteria must consider cost optimality as defined in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive for both the homeowner and society.

1. Energy requirements should primarily address the energy performance of the whole building.
2. The home must have a low dependency on electrical air conditioning and complex building installations to increase robustness in periods of extreme weather, e.g. high temperatures.
3. The energy supply must consider the local context and use of renewables at a cost optimal level.
4. The Energy Efficiency First principle should always be applied. Efficiency in the energy supply is important to achieve sustainable energy supply.
5. There should be an upper limit for how much energy efficiency of the building can be substituted by renewable energy to ensure the Energy Efficiency First principle.

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