Sustainability is the capacity to endure. This involves both ...

Sustainability is the capacity to endure. This involves both environmental, social and economical 

issues. Therefore, aiming for a sustainable refurbishment of buildings is both complex and 

challenging. First you need to define your strategy on sustainability. What is sustainable for you 

and your environment? Thereafter you need to create a performance profile of your building. 

Based on the building performance, your ambitions and available resources you are able to 

point out the way for a sustainable refurbishment. This guideline will guide you through 10 steps 

towards a sustainable refurbishment. The first 3 steps can be used for a building portfolio or a 

single building, while step 4-10 is only for a single building. 

Please click “Start guideline” in the bottom right corner to start the journey. 

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You are here 

Let an expert explain 

(click here) 

Step 10 

Finance and 

Procurement 

Strategy 

Requirement 

Setting 

Selecting 

the Team 

Managing 

the Supply 

Operation 

and 

Maintenance 

Monitoring, 

Enforcement 

and Evaluation 

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Next

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Step 2 

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Sustainable indicators 

Strategy methodology 

Step 4 

Environmental 

Technical standard 

Social 

Economic 


(click here) 

Step 5 

Energy 

Indoor climate 

Life cycle costs 

Material 

Adaptability 

Value 

Step 6 

Safety and 

accessability 

Step 7 

Comfort 

Usability 

Step 8 

Cultural values 

Step 9 

Process 

Step 10 

Finance and 

Procurement 

Strategy 

Requirement 

Setting 

Selecting 


Managing 


Operation 

and 

Maintenance 


Enforcement 


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There are often mismatch between ambition level and finances. The finance model should be decided in a very 

early phase of the project. Who will finance the project? Are there any support funds that can help founding? 

Will the rental income increase? How much? How long is the payback time on the different measures? Which 

will be the major costs? Which functions are absolutely necessary to improve, and what will It cost? To define 

your ambition level on the different sustainable indicators, please download the SURE-tool by clicking on the 

button ‘Define ambitions’ . In the next step of the Guideline, you will create a performance profile of the 

building, using the same tool. The performance profile should thereafter be compared to the ambition level to 

reveal the most challenging measures for refurbishment. 

Finance models 

Plot opportunities 

Life Cycle Cost 

Support funds 

Area efficiency 

Rental income 

Increased value 

Change layout? 

Add a floor? 

Sell or Use? 


(click here) 

Finance and 

Procurement 

Strategy 

Requirement 

Setting 

Selecting 


Managing 


Operation 

and 

Maintenance 


Enforcement 


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Step 3 

There is no use of planning a refurbishment without knowing the performance profile of the building. 

Therefore, a survey should be conducted in a very early phase of the project. An example of a performance 

profile is shown below. Please use the SURE-tool presented in step 3 (click the button ‘Create performance 

profile’) to create a performance profile of your building. 

Step 4 

Step 5 

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Step 10 


(click here) 

Finance and 

Procurement 

Strategy 

Requirement 

Setting 

Selecting 


Managing 


Operation 

and 

Maintenance 


Enforcement 


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The performance profile should be compiled with the project ambitions(using the SURE-tool) and finances. 

This will reveal which measures to focus on, and give an indication on whether to tear down or refurbish the 

building. If it`s concluded to refurbish the building, the ambitions should be revised based on the analysis. 

Thereafter, a priority list on measures should be conducted. Please use the same tool as in step 3 & 4 to 

compare ambitions and performance profile. 

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Step 10 


(click here) 

Finance and 

Procurement 

Strategy 

Requirement 

Setting 

Selecting 


Managing 


Operation 

and 

Maintenance 


Enforcement 


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You are here 

Step 6 

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Step 9 


(click here) 

Step 10 

Finance and 

Procurement 

Strategy 

Requirement 

Setting 

Selecting 


Managing 


Operation 

and 

Maintenance 


Enforcement 


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Based on the strategic analysis including finances, performance profile and ambition level, it`s now decided to 

refurbish the building. (If the decision is to tear down the building, the guideline ends here). The ambition level 

has been revised and a priority list on measures is finalized. Now, the planners have to set targets on the 

sustainable indicators evaluated in the performance profile. The targets should be quantitative, as far as 

possible. They should also reflect ambitiousness, available finances and technical, realistic measures. Please 

use the same SURE-tool as in step 3, 4 & 5 to set requirements and create a Quality Program for Sustainable 

Refurbishment (QPSR). 

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Finance and 

Procurement 

Strategy 

Requirement 

Setting 

Selecting 


Managing 


Operation 

and 

Maintenance 


Enforcement 


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Step 9 

One of the most challenging tasks in a refurbishment project is “to find the right guy for the job”. It`s all about 

selecting the right expert teams to handle the different phases of the project. Sometimes the same team can 

be used in several phases, maybe also throughout the whole project, but anyhow there must be a team 

selection in at least the following 8 phases; 1. Condition survey, 2. Create a performance profile, 3. Strategic 

analysis (together with the building owner), 4. Early design , 5.Design, 6. Construction, 7. Operation and 

maintenance, 8. Monitoring, enforcement and evaluation. Each of the selection processes should include a 

description of the task, criteria for the selection, a tender request, tender evaluation and contracting. An 

example of requirement setting for selecting a team is shown on the figure below. 

Requirement category Description Example 

Qualification requirements 

Award criteria: 

Requirements to the provider who wants to 

participate in the contest. If the provider does not 

meet the qualification requirements, he is 

rejected. 

Criteria to choose the most favorable offer, i.e. 

which provider should be chosen. 

Tax and duty matters are ok. 

The provider has experience from similar 

missions. 

The quality system of the provider is 

satisfactory. 

Cost 50 % 

Experiences 25 % 

Understanding of the task 25 % 

Step 10 

Specification requirements: Requirements for the deliveries. Design a passive house standard 

Install a heat pump with detailed 

specifications 

Waste management specifications 

Insulation thickness in the wall 


(click here) 

Finance and 

Procurement 

Strategy 

Requirement 

Setting 

Selecting 


Managing 


Operation 

and 

Maintenance 


Enforcement 


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Even if the Quality Program for Sustainable Refurbishment (QPSR) is well documented and decided, the 

program will not implement itself into the different processes of the refurbishment project. Therefore, it is of 

high importance that an evaluation of the quality program is required in all the phases of the project. The 

project management should impose the designers and contractors to review the QPSR (checklist) to ensure 

that the sustainable indicator requirements are addressed. In the Hand Over phase, the building owner and the 

contractor should check the QPSR together. Last, but not least, the operating personnel should have strict 

guidelines on regularly checks and evaluations during the whole operational phase. 

Step 5 

Step 6 

Design 

Check & Evaluate 

Step 7 

Step 8 

Step 9 

Construction 

Hand Over 



Step 10 

Operation 



(click here) 

Finance and 

Procurement 

Strategy 

Requirement 

Setting 

Selecting 


Managing 


Operation 

and 

Maintenance 


Enforcement 


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You are here 

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(click here) 

Step 10 

Finance and 

Procurement 

Strategy 

Requirement 

Setting 

Selecting 


Managing 


Operation 

and 

Maintenance 


Enforcement 


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When the requirements in the Quality Program of Sustainable Refurbishment (QPSR) is evaluated in the 

different phases of the project, they could prove to be incorrect. In that case, the designer, the contractor, the 

building owner or the operating personnel need an action plan to know how to act to improve the 

performance of the indicator. This is the only way to ensure high quality on the sustainable indicators of the 

building. The figure below shows examples of how this could be implemented in the QPSR. 

Step 5 

Step 6 

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Step 9 

Indicator 

Delivered energy 

Target value 

(QPSR) 

Current value 

(checked) 

80 kWh/m 2 y 120 kWh/m 2 y 

Action if mismatch in design phase 

Revise the energy calculation 

- More insulation 

- Solar shading 

- Reduce ventilation rate 

- Increase heat recovery 

- Energy system 

- Energy source 

Step 10 

CO 2 -consentration 

Lux-level 

2000 ppm 

500lux 

1000 ppm 

300 lux 

Increase ventilation 

Change lighting system 

Increase window area 

Finance and 

Procurement 

Strategy 

Requirement 

Setting 

Selecting 


Managing 


Operation 

and 

Maintenance 


Enforcement 


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Next

Step 1 

You are here 

Step 2 

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Step 5 

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Step 9 


(click here) 

Step 10 

Finance and 

Procurement 

Strategy 

Requirement 

Setting 

Selecting 


Managing 


Operation 

and 

Maintenance 


Enforcement 


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Next

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Step 6 

In the operational phase, the sustainable indicators in the QPSR should be monitored continuously. But even if 

the performance of the building and its technical equipment fulfils the requirements, the behavior of the users 

could have a huge impact on the performance. Often, a sustainable refurbished building turns out to be 

unsustainable because of wrong use. Therefore, detailed user guidelines together with monitoring and 

involving, should be implemented into the operating procedures of the building, e.g. as exemplified here. 

User guidelines 

Waste: 

-Paper, plastic and organic waste 

should be sorted in each floor 

Step 7 

Step 8 

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Step 10 

Monitoring 

Involving 

Energy: 

- Energy consumption is 

displayed in reception area 

Indoor climate: 

- The user can report 

unsatisfactory indoor climate 

Finance and 

Procurement 

Strategy 

Requirement 

Setting 

Selecting 


Managing 


Operation 

and 

Maintenance 


Enforcement 


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