Priority action 1 - development of a standardised approach for data collection, data management and interoperability including its legal framework

• Author: Carbonar, Giulia; Sterling, Raymond; Spirinckx, Carolin; Vandevelde, Birgit; De Groote, Maarten; Dourlens-Quaranta, Sophie; Lodigiani, Alessandro; Volt, Jonathan; Borragán, Guillermo; Glicker, Jessica; Kondratenko, Irena; Toth, Zsolt; Rajagopalan, Neethi; De Regel, Sofie; Rapf, Oliver; Calderoni, Marco; Loureiro, Tatiana
• Pages: 63-74

STUDY ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF A EUROPEAN UNION FRAMEWORK FOR DIGITAL BUILDING LOGBOOKS

FINAL REPORT

63

CHAPTER 5: PRIORITY ACTION 1 - DEVELOPMENT OF A

STANDARDISED APPROACH FOR DATA COLLECTION, DATA

MANAGEMENT AND INTEROPERABILITY INCLUDING ITS

LEGAL FRAMEWORK

Context of the action

Most experts engaged in this study think that a wider uptake of the digital building

logbook requires a systematic and better aligned capture of information, data

gathering, processing, exchange and storage.26This entails all building-related data,

of both static and dynamic nature, and can include administrative documents, plans,

description of the land, the building and its surroundings, technical systems, traceability and

characteristics of construction materials, performance data, and links to building ratings and

certificates.

An EU-wide harmonised set of logbook data protocols would enable interoperability and

inclusion of external databases, while offering an approach to bring together fragmented

and scattered data across several organisations (or even departments within the same

organisation). The standardised digital building logbook would be a safe instrument, at once

giving users control of their data and allowing access to third parties while respecting the

fundamental right to protection of personal data. It would also help Member States to

develop and adopt legislation and public initiatives, fostering not only the uptake of the

digital building logbook but also the digitalisation of the whole value chain.

Two fundamental questions need to be answered to facilitate an aligned and structured data

approach:

1)To what level is it necessary to formalise and align these technical

specifications across Europe?

2)How can the approach be anchored in European legislation?

For the first question, there are two main approaches available: i) an official mandate for a

European standard, and ii) a technical study with wider and more open stakeholder

involvement.

Is a series of European standards mandated by the European Commission, including

examples such as the ISO 52000 series on the energy performance of buildings,27 necessary

to ensure data interoperability and safety? Is it a better alternative to start with a technical

study, commissioned by the European Commission, as was the case with Level(s) –the

European framework for sustainable buildings?28

Both options are common practice and have their individual advantages. To make an

informed decision about the most suitable pathway, the specific circumstances will need to

be considered –for example existing or forthcoming legislation, time constraints, industry

interest etc. In the following section several options are identified and compared in a high-

level implementation process flow, accompanied by a description of the main actors,

management and financial aspects, and an indicative timeline.

26 See stakeholder outcomes in Report 1 – Definition of the Digital Building Logbook [1].

27 Set of Energy Performance of Buildings standards, developed under a mandate from the European Commission

to support the EPBD, published in summer 2017. This set of standards enables the assessment of the overall

energy performance of a building. https://www.iso.org/standard/65601.html

28 Level(s) is a common European approach to assess and report on the sustainability of buildings. Using existing

standards, the voluntary Level(s) framework provides a common language for building sustainability, which

other initiatives can also use. https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eussd/buildings.htm