scope:

This European Standard forms one part of a series of European Standards and provides the specific principles and requirements for the assessment of environmental performance of buildings taking into account technical characteristics and functionality of a building. Assessment of environmental performance is one aspect of sustainability assessment of buildings under the general framework of EN 15643-1.

The framework applies to all types of buildings and it is relevant for the assessment of the environmental performance of new buildings over their entire life cycle, and of existing buildings over their remaining service life and end of life stage.

In this series of standards, the environmental dimension of sustainability is limited to the assessment of environmental impacts and aspects of a building on the local, regional and global environment. The assessment is on Life Cycle Assessment and additional quantifiable environmental information expressed with quantified indicators. It excludes the assessment of a building's influence on the environmental impacts and aspects of the local infrastructure beyond the area of the building site, and environmental impacts and aspects resulting from transportation of the users of the building. It also excludes environmental risk assessment.

The standards developed under this framework do not set the rules for how different building assessment schemes may provide valuation methods. Nor do they prescribe levels, classes or benchmarks for measuring performance.

NOTE Valuation methods, levels, classes or benchmarks may be prescribed in the requirements for environmental, social and economic performance in the client's brief, building regulations, national standards, national codes of practice, building assessment and certification schemes, etc.

The rules for assessment of environmental aspects of organizations are not included within this framework. However, the consequences of decisions or actions that influence the environmental performance of the object of assessment are taken into account.