The Potential of Voluntary Sustainability Class to Leverage Sustainability in the Danish Construction Industry

Abstract

As Denmark seeks to be a pioneering country in terms of sustainability, the voluntary sustainability class, also known as the frivillige bæredygtighedsklasse (FBK) in Danish, is the most recent initiative from the political and industrial sides to leverage more sustainability into the construction industry. Currently, there is an ongoing test period for FBK to obtain industrial experience and acquire feedback on the provisions and whether they fit the industry level. The intention is to investigate the possible integration of minimum requirements within the Danish building legislation. This paper will present the first results of a field research study of the potential of FBK within the Danish construction industry. The study adopts a qualitative comparative approach through triangulating knowledge obtained from literature reviews, the result of an actual studied case - a daycare institution in the test phase of FBK (located in Malling, Aarhus Municipality, Denmark) - and five semi-structured interviews. The interviews were conducted with professionals who were carefully selected based on their work with FBK while ensuring a nuanced picture of different working roles with FBK. It is concluded that the early design integration (i.e., the outline and project proposal) is very crucial for the final project outcome. The case study shows that the provisions need initial consideration in the design phase, as many key elements are decided here to avoid redesigning solutions later to accommodate the requirements of FBK. Further research can be carried out, exploring the final form of the provisions in the main project to investigate the development process through the design phase.