The EU is not on track to reach the 2050 climate targets for energy and renovations. At the same time, the lack of a commonly accepted comprehensive definition of what constitutes healthy buildings hinders progress towards achieving healthy buildings.
Increasing building health has multiple positive impacts, making them financially viable, sustainable, and resilient to climate impacts. Above all, healthy buildings should be the only type of buildings in which people live, learn, work, play, or recover.
With the backdrop of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive recast, the Chaillot declaration that followed the Global Buildings and Climate Forum and 2024 being a big year of both national and EU elections, the adage that ‘it has never been more relevant than now’ once again holds true: the impetus of urgency to deliver healthy homes, workplaces, schools and hospitals as part of a more holistic policy framework is accompanied by a real opportunity to do so.
Lars Petersson
CEO of the VELUX Group