Nowadays sustainability has experienced a fast growth within the building industry sector. Several sustainability certifications and rating systems have been emerging with the idea of evaluate and rate the sustainability of a construction, and its effects on the environment, providing great benefits for the building owner, stakeholders and users. Sustainable construction also brings a healthy and comfortable indoor environment, reducing the building’s footprint, and increasing the quality and the property value. But, on the other hand, often, the value of a sustainable construction increases over time, causing reticence from building owners and stakeholders due to the high initial economic and resources investment.
This research studies the influence of the implementation of sustainability criteria and sustainability assessment on the building’s construction planning and management. A good planning and realization processes are the key concepts to achieve an enhanced property value, improving sales and renting processes of the property, and ensuring an efficient building operation. But even within the framework of a strict building process, the influence of the professional’s bias and habits may interfere on the project performance, obstructing the evolution of the project work and increasing exponentially the design and construction work. Those decisions will be influenced by the traditional needs of the construction industry, the restrictions imposed by legislation and guidance, and the needs of the clients for the buildings and projects.
The investigation of this project report is based on the analysis of a case study, four healthcare buildings located in northern Denmark, which are owned by Region North Jutland. The projects represent the efforts of the Danish Government to reduce emissions and promote sustainability. Additionally, the buildings represented a big challenge for the professionals involved in the building process, due to the strict Building Owner’s demands and the implementation of a new building sustainability certification, the German DGNB, which was adopted as the Danish national building certification by the Green Building Council Denmark in 2010. This unique situation brings the opportunity to overview the issues faced along the construction process and the difficulties faced by the professionals due to i.e. the lack of previous experience with sustainable construction.
Based on the analysis, it will be possible to overview the beneficial effects of sustainability certification of the building process aspects and the possible improvements that need to be implemented along the construction process to enhance the coordination, communication and planning of a sustainable building project.