What if saving carbon and managing risk were just as important as the euro?

The profitability of buildings and construction work is changing fundamentally. It isn‘t determined solely in relation to the initial investment anymore. Rather, the environmental impact and life cycle are gradually becoming key benchmarks.

Nicole Wallner

Ten Brinke Group

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What if we always viewed costs from a long-term perspective as well?

Buildings are more complex and long-lived than other things we use every day. That’s why just looking at the cost of planning and construction isn’t enough. Recurring expenses over the course of a building’s use – such as cleaning, maintenance, repair and energy consumption – can be underestimated and thus lead to high costs later on. Calculating life cycle costs helps in finding the most economical and highest quality solution over the long term by estimating the expenses a building will generate over its entire lifetime and where investment risks are lurking.

One study that highlights why it is worth considering costs over the entire life cycle is the study "Life cycle-based assessment of buildings an analysis of 28 residential buildings with regard to climate impact and costs in Germany".

To the study

What if regulation worked to support transformation and wasn’t something we saw as a threat?

When it comes to the bureaucracy governing construction in Germany, it’s easy to feel that the regulations are too numerous, contradict each other in places and are more effort than they’re worth. Nevertheless, these constraints are sometimes necessary so that there are consequences for those who do nothing. One example is the EU taxonomy – a classification system that defines what is ecologically sustainable in different areas of economic activity such as the property sector. Those who do nothing risk their buildings losing value.

Learn more about Sustainable Finance and the EU-Taxonomy

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