Cleaner Technology Projects in Denmark 1997
Environmental Management of an Office Block in Copenhagen
Miljørigtig projektering af kontorhus i København
Arbejdsrapport nr. 26, 1997, Miljøstyrelsen
This report describes an independent project within the frame project Environmental Management in Project Design. The project deals with environmental management in connection with the construction of a new domicile for the Society of Engineers.
It is a comprehensive project to carry out a qualified environmental assessment of a large building project and at the same time keep the general view of what is considered as a significant environmental impact and what is considered as a less significant impact. DP 8 has followed the principle in the "Guide to Environmental Management in Project Design", edition C, and used the checklists to carry out the general environmental survey of the building project.
To be able to work systematically with the environmental survey the environmental impacts have been categorised in the following three main groups:
 | Impacts on the use of resources |
| Impacts on health |
| Impacts on nature |
The specific environmental survey is based on input - output checklists where all relevant input and output between the environment and the building is specified. By using the input and output checklists it is possible to encircle the environmental impacts caused by the specific building project.
The task has been to point out the environmental impacts, which represent some significant differences between the three alternative building projects, some differences which might have decisive influence on the choice of project. The experience by using the guidebook, edition C, has demonstrated that it is necessary to define a methodology that provides an environmental basis for making a decision on which project to choose from between alternative projects. The guidebook, edition C does not describe this specific problem in detail.
In the present work report, a method for comparative environmental impact assessment has been developed for the use of environmental assessment of building projects in the very early stages of planning and design of the building, where only few binding decisions concerning design and construction of the buildings have been taken.
It has not been possible on the basis of the environmental survey to conclude that one of the three alternatives was significantly environmentally superior. But the environmental assessment has through a systematic survey provided a basis for the building owner to make a qualified decision on which project corresponds to the owners ambition for the building project.
A detailed environmental survey has been carried out for the chosen domicile project on Kalvebod Brygge. On the basis of that survey a number of environmental objectives have been described and the design and construction of the building are obligated to, as best as possible, to comply with these objectives.
Five overall objective have been selected:
| Reduction in consumption of scarce resources and not to use harmful and unhealthy building materials |
| Reduction in consumption of energy in the operation of the building |
| Establishing a good indoor climate and work environment |
| Minimising environmental impacts in the construction phase |
| Visibility of the environmental effort |
On the basis of the overall objectives a number of environmental targets have been put up. For instance - not to use building materials containing PVC and to lower the energy consumption for heating by 20 % in the operation phase.
An Action Plan has been prepared including a description of the organisation and the activities that should ensure accomplishment of the environmental objectives described in the Environmental Programme.
The strategic frame of the Guide to Environmental Management in Project Design for environmental assessment is sensible and inspiring. The builder and the engineers are forced to work systematically with the environmental aspects. The ambition in the guidebook is very high and it can cause some difficulties to fulfil the requirement for documentation of every environmental action taken in the building project. It is important that the guidebook provides simple, distinct and operational methodology and tools applicable to the building sector. The crucial point must be to start up the practical and specific work of environmental management in project design and work in consideration to significant environmental issues in building projects rather than trying to cover all environmental aspects theoretically and methodically right from the beginning.
Author/ institution
Moe & Broedsgaard A/S
The Society of Engineers in Denmark
This report is subsidised by the National Council for Recycling and Cleaner Production
ISSN no. 0908-9195
ISBN no. 87-7810-772-5