Please introduce yourself and describe your role as it relates to Level(s)

I have been working in DG GROW for more than 20 years. As a civil engineer by training with a PhD in Urban Sociology, it was just logical to join the construction unit of the Directorate General. The name of the DG as well as the one of the ‘construction unit’ has changed several times. My main role however – covering sustainability in construction – has remained with me over the years, as has my focus on protecting consumers and the environment from chemicals and specific construction materials.

In my work, I have seen that environmental legislation is most effective in cases where stakeholders’ obligations are unambiguous. In such cases, the Commission’s role is to set clear and transparent rules.

In areas in which all actors are still gaining experience – and this applies to ‘sustainability,’ even though the term has been used for some thirty years – instruments like Level(s) can complement legislation by preparing the ground for professionals and laypeople, while giving them ‘room for manoeuvre’ to go further than the guidelines or recommendations and to introduce improvements.

You’ve been working on a Calculation and Assessment Tool (CAT) to support Level(s) users. What can you tell our readers about its overall purpose and practical benefits?

The main idea is to provide a simple calculation format that helps Level(s) users to apply the indicators relatively easily after completing the eLearning programme. CAT mirrors the structure and vocabulary of Level(s) framework.

The main advantage of CAT is that it enables users to complete all of the calculation work necessary in order to assess sustainability performance against the Level(s) indicators, without having to invest in any IT solutions or software.

Secondly CAT allows users to compare results between their own projects and other users’ projects. This makes it easier to exchange experiences.

However, further work is needed to support the comparison of notes between different users on one screen. From January 2022 onwards, we will start collecting feedback from users to improve the tool. It’s important to be aware that any improvements we introduce during 2022 and 2023 will only affect the tool itself. The structure and content of Level(s) will remain untouched by these improvements.

Which kinds of Level(s) users will find CAT most helpful?

When I was still working in the private sector, I have seen (from my small perspective) how SMEs and large companies were operating. Among larger offices of designers or construction companies, introducing new requirements is still challenging, but their resources allow them to adapt to changes faster. For SMEs and – as for many architects and micro-enterprises – the adaptation costs are significantly higher, creating a barrier to change.

Therefore, CAT should, in particular, help the smaller sized companies and even individuals to use Level(s) with minimal upfront investment. I am not saying that no preparation is needed before using it. From my own experience with CAT I can tell you that, at least for Level 2, you should have already decided which macro-objectives and indicators you would like to focus on beforehand. Otherwise, the information required from the user and the calculation results could be confusing – the opposite of what we want to achieve with Level(s)!

When CAT launches it will be available in English. Will it be available in additional languages in the future?

We plan to release CAT in all official languages of the EU over the next few years. The first five translations for the user manual (in French, German, Italian, Polish and Spanish) are in preparation and should be ready during early 2022. The translation of CAT itself will be more time-consuming.

When will CAT be available on the Level(s) website?

We are now really close to the finish line and I expect to have CAT publicly available before Christmas. However, I doubt many people will use CAT over the festive period, so I wish everyone success in getting started with the tool in the New Year!