Preface: Operating environment changing for construction sector

The climate change will increase the severity and frequency of extreme weather phenomena, such as heavy downpours, storms, flooding conditions as well as periods of drought and heat waves. The risks of damage to and overheating of buildings and the built-up environment increase, as well.

Amendments are to be made in Finnish national laws. The new Construction Act imposes obligations pertaining to sustainable building which highlight decarbonisation and the longevity of buildings. The new Act specifies durability, flexibility, and reusability as the life cycle properties of buildings.

One of the actions that mitigate climate change is the wide introduction of low carbon building materials and methods. Energy-efficient buildings with a long service life provide another means to mitigate climate change. The targeted design service life should be at least one hundred years.

A building may be used for several different purposes, either simultaneously or consecutively, during its life cycle. Extending the service life of a building through renovations and modernisation produces significantly less carbon dioxide emissions than the construction of “disposable” buildings.

The reuse of precast concrete elements is a new approach in Finland. It is also possible to design buildings that can be moved to another location.

The Finnish Concrete Association will also in the future be tasked with developing and promoting the appropriate, informed use of concrete.

Jukka Lahdensivu, Doctor of Technology, Concrete Association of Finland, Chair of Board