Looking back at the Level(s) Conference

On 20 February 2020, the European Commission hosted the “Debate, Reflect, Advise – Get Level(s) right” conference in Brussels. The event brought together about 140 participants from across Europe to present the analysis and findings of the Level(s) test phase. It was also a great opportunity for the building sector to revise Level(s) and ensure its success past the test phase.

Highlights from the morning session

The morning session started with a presentation of the results from the Level(s) test phase by the Joint Research Centre (JRC). After that, the participants got first-hand insights on the practical implementation of Leve(s) and key reflections given by test coordinators from Finland, France and Denmark.

• The Finnish Ministry of the Environment, together with the Finnish Green Building Council , coordinated 25 buildings testing Level(s). They consider Level(s) a tool with the potential to harmonise the sustainability assessment of buildings across Europe. The testing of Level(s) resulted in better understanding of building sustainability. To reach ambitious sustainability objectives, it is important to set these together with the client early on. Online courses, a language adapted to the end user and compatibility with Building Information Model (BIM) will greatly help a wider uptake of Level(s).  
• Alliance HQE-GBC (France) coordinated 9 projects, mostly newly built but also renovation ones. Testing showed that Level(s) is a very useful tool for practitioners keen on implementing life cycle assessment (LCA) in building design.For Level(s) to be adopted at national level, it will be crucial to develop specific regulation and certification schemes.
• The Danish Association of Architectural Firms coordinated the Level(s) testing in 17 building projects. While Level(s) is a valuable tool to improve sustainability, it needs to be simplified and aligned with existing workflows. With slight modifications and a stepwise introduction to Level(s), the framework could greatly support early dialogue and qualitative assessment as well as target setting.

Highlights from the afternoon sessions

During the afternoon, participants attended interactive breakout sessions on key topics  – for instance, options for benchmarking and evaluation of sustainability in buildings, or how to better support less experienced users in adopting Level(s).

In the breakout session on “How can Level(s) be adjusted so that it really works as an ‘entry level’ for users with limited/no previous experience?”, Dr. Matti Kuittinen, Senior Specialist at the Finnish Ministry of the Environment, praised the forward-looking values at the core of Level(s): “Level(s) has a great momentum. It could help to build bridges between overarching European climate and resource goals and individual construction projects. For grasping this, digitalisation will become essential”. 

The breakout session participants suggested that simplified communication through straightforward step-by-step guidance, using accessible, jargon free language, would make it easier for a wider range of users to understand and use Level(s). In addition, they pointed out that step-by-step instructions could be accompanied by a series of questions to help the user to apply the right Level.

Taking Level(s) forward

Besides the discussions on-site, the participants were also very active on social media, sharing their insights and impressions under the hashtag #BuildCircular. Be sure to keep sharing all your Level(s) insights there!​

This event served as a central element in the Level(s) open consultation process, and the views shared during the conference will be used by the European Commission to improve and finalise Level(s), getting it ready for its wider uptake during the second half of 2020.

The background paper and presentations (links on the agenda document) for this conference are now available on the Level(s) webpage.