At a time when sustainability is becoming increasingly important, numerous industries have already taken measures to prepare for the challenges of the future. With the new OIB Guideline 7 “Sustainable use of natural resources”, which will be published in 2027, the topic of sustainability is now set to find its way into domestic building law for the first time.

The Austrian Institute of Construction Engineering (OIB) therefore invited a wide range of stakeholders from the construction industry to a stakeholder workshop on March 19 this year – deliberately at an early stage in the development of the guidelines. “When developing the OIB guidelines, it is important for us to take into account a wide range of opinions, wishes and concerns from the outset,” emphasizes Priv.-Doz. The overwhelming response to the workshop – with more than 120 participants from various areas of the construction industry as well as representatives from the federal states, authorities and research institutions – illustrates the high relevance of the topic.

Lots of information in the morning

The morning of the event – held in the GÖD hall in Vienna – was dedicated to knowledge transfer. The first speaker was DI Robert Jansche, Chairman of the Board of the Austrian Institute of Building Technology and Chairman of the expert advisory boards for all OIB guidelines. In his presentation, he introduced the basic document for OIB Guideline 7 and outlined the further schedule for the development of the guideline.

The remaining keynote speeches illustrated the wide range of framework conditions associated with the forthcoming directive. The civil engineer for civil engineering and professor emeritus at Graz University of Technology, Prof. Peter Maydl, presented the work of ASI Committee 271 and CEN Committee 350 and illustrated their interaction. He also drew attention to the implementation of European specifications – also in connection with Level(s).

Sarah Richter, Managing Director of Bau EPD GmbH, explained the basics of life cycle assessment and life cycle analysis to those present. In particular, the calculation of the Global Warming Potential (GWP) was discussed and the data basis required for this was presented.

Roland Starke from the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology presented European guidelines for the avoidance of residual waste and how they are being implemented in Austria. He concluded the morning’s information block with a presentation of the new requirements for sustainable public procurement and the requirements for sustainable construction from a waste management perspective.

The OIB demonstrated an innovative spirit during the keynote speeches. Instead of traditional Q&A sessions, the focus was on interaction via smartphones. Participants were able to ask questions online during the presentations, read other questions and support them with “likes”. At the end, the questions with the greatest interest were answered live. All other questions were documented and answered in writing by the speakers after the event. A smart system in the truest sense of the word.

Panel discussion provides food for thought

After the lunch break, a panel discussion kicked off the active part of the workshop day. “How will construction change in the future and what can OIB Guideline 7 contribute to this?” This was discussed by Franziska Trebut (Austrian Society for Environment and Technology), Benjamin Kromoser (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna), Thomas Kasper (Austrian Building Materials Recycling Association), Peter Kompolschek (Chairman of WG 11.09 (digital building documentation) at the ASI) and Michael Strobl (Chamber of Civil Engineers for Upper Austria and Salzburg), moderated by Robert Stadler. Trebut, Strobl and Kasper agreed that more attention should be paid to building in existing structures in future, with deconstruction, renovation and conversion measures already being taken into account in the planning phase. They also emphasized the importance of a better Global Warming Potential (GWP) for conversion projects compared to new buildings. Kromoser supported this view and emphasized the need for a holistic approach to life cycle assessment. Kompolschek called for more efficient digital documentation of buildings, which should be publicly accessible.

Themed cafés for inputs

After the panel discussion, all of the workshop guests became active. “It was important to us that all participants could contribute their ideas in a short space of time,” explains Robert Jansche. So-called theme cafés were chosen as the means. Expectations and challenges regarding the future OIB Guideline 7 were recorded at five themed tables corresponding to the chapters of the basic document. The tablecloths served as a writing surface. Every 20 minutes, the motto was: “Please move on to the next table!” In this way, all guests were able to provide their input on each point of the basic paper. “By the end of the day, all the tablecloths were full,” says Jansche, impressed by the guests’ motivation and commitment. “More than 350 inputs were generated during the workshop.”

Summary
The wealth of ideas, questions and requests from participants during the workshop shows the importance of and commitment to sustainability in the construction industry. “This workshop day enabled us to get many of the key players in the building sector on board and capture the general mood,” says Jansche, summarizing the workshop day. “Now we just have to carry the momentum of this workshop into the committees and get the horsepower on the road!”