| Title: | Streamlining sustainability certification of residential buildings in the EU : state-of-the-art literature review |
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| Authors: | ID Červan, Urška (Author)
ID Žegarac Leskovar, Vesna (Author) |
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| Files: |  buildings-16-02115.pdf (3,72 MB)
MD5: 18008EBE49202C1DAC536C5CD81BF677
 https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/16/11/2115
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| Language: | English |
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| Work type: | Article |
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| Typology: | 1.02 - Review Article |
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| Organization: | FGPA - Faculty of Civil Engineering, Transportation Engineering and Architecture
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| Abstract: | The building sector is a critical component of the European Union’s strategy to achieve climate neutrality, as it accounts for 30–40% of total energy consumption and significant greenhouse gas emissions. While sustainability certification systems like BREEAM, LEED, DGNB, and HQE have established frameworks for environmental assessment, their widespread adoption in the residential sector faces challenges related to complexity and technical barriers. This paper provides a state-of-the-art literature review on streamlining sustainability certification for residential buildings in the EU. It examines the transition from established private schemes to harmonised frameworks such as Level(s), alongside the integration of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The review identifies key obstacles, including data interoperability issues, the need for automated quantity extraction, and the lack of technical expertise among stakeholders. Findings suggest that streamlining requires advancing semantic data models and digital twins to enable real-time performance monitoring and automated compliance checking. Furthermore, the alignment of national building codes with the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and the European Green Deal is essential for fostering a more cohesive certification landscape. The study concludes by outlining pathways for reducing the administrative and technical burden of certification to support the EU’s decarbonisation and renovation goals. |
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| Keywords: | building sustainability certification, level(s), Building Information Modeling, BIM, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), sustainable construction |
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| Publication status: | Published |
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| Publication version: | Version of Record |
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| Submitted for review: | 13.04.2026 |
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| Article acceptance date: | 20.05.2026 |
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| Publication date: | 25.05.2026 |
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| Publisher: | MDPI |
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| Year of publishing: | 2026 |
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| Number of pages: | 30 str. |
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| Numbering: | let. 16, št. 11, št. članka 2115 |
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| PID: | 20.500.12556/DKUM-98199  |
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| UDC: | 69:502.131.1 |
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| ISSN on article: | 2075-5309 |
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| COBISS.SI-ID: | 279310339 |
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| DOI: | 10.3390/buildings16112115 |
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| Publication date in DKUM: | 26.05.2026 |
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| Views: | 237 |
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| Downloads: | 18 |
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| Metadata: |    |
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| Categories: | Misc.
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