What is ISO 21678 about?
ISO 21678 discusses principles, requirements and guidelines for the development and use of benchmarks when assessing the economic, social and environmental performance of buildings and civil engineering works by using sustainability indicators.
ISO 21678 specifies three types of values for benchmarks i.e. limit values, reference values and target values which are used for comparison purposes.
ISO 21678 complements and supports ISO 219291 and ISO/TS 219292 by creating principles and requirements for the establishment of benchmarks that support target setting, decision making and communication to third parties.
It also complements ISO 219311 and ISO 219312 by creating principles, requirements and guidelines for the establishment and use of benchmarks related to environmental performance and other aspects of sustainability.
Note: ISO 21678 does not set any benchmarks.
Who is ISO 21678 for?
ISO 21678 on sustainability in civil engineering works is relevant to:
- Owners and investors, portfolio managers
- Local authorities and building authorities
- Designers and consultants
- Banks and insurance companies
- Policy makers
- Appraisal specialists and estate agents
Why should you use ISO 21678?
Various building projects need to be changed in order to lower the negative impact on the environment, society and economy. For this significant improvement in cooperation, communication, and the use of design and assessment tools is required.
In current scenario various International Standards on sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works support the assessment and comparison of buildings and other types of construction works but there is no detailed information on the evaluation process.
As the demand for assessments of buildings and other types of construction works continues to grow, benchmarks are used. They are used for tasks such as:
- Target setting in public procurement
- Target setting in early design stages
- Certification of buildings and other types of construction works
- Evaluation of designs or buildings for decision making
- Communication to third parties about assessment results
Benchmarks usually explain the linkage between the economic value of an asset and issues of sustainable development in order to promote sustainable building. Transparent methods and common principles are needed for the development of these benchmarks.
ISO 21678 helps in measuring the performance level of a benchmark using performance values for the purpose of assessing the economic, social and environmental performance of buildings and civil engineering works correctly and effectively.
ISO 21678 helps in reducing the negative impact of buildings on environment and economy and thus, helps in building buildings that are more sustainable and energy efficient.
As a result, compliance with ISO 21678 provides principles, requirements and guidelines for development of the benchmarks which thus, increases the quality of the sustainability assessment.
