CEN/TC 350/WG 6 - Civil Engineering works

This document establishes the requirements and specific methods for the assessment of environmental, economic and social performances of a civil engineering works while taking into account the civil engineering works’ functionality and technical characteristics. By the means of this document the decision making for a project is supported by providing a standardized method for enabling comparability of scheme options.
The assessment of environmental and economic performances of a civil engineering works is based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Life Cycle Cost (LCC), Whole-Life Cost (WLC) and other quantified environmental and economic information. The approach to the assessment covers all stages of the civil engineering works life cycle and includes all civil engineering works related construction products, processes and services, used over its life cycle.
This document is applicable to new and existing civil engineering works and refurbishment projects. The environmental performance is based on data obtained from Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) and additional indicators.
This document is not applicable for the assessment of the environmental, social and economic performance of building(s) as part of the civil engineering works; instead, EN 15978, EN 16309 and EN 16627 apply.

This European Standard provides specific principles and requirements for the assessment of environmental, social and economic performance of civil engineering works taking into account its technical characteristics and functionality. Assessments of environmental, social and economic performance are the three aspects of sustainability assessment of civil engineering works.
The framework applies to all types of civil engineering works, both new and existing, and it is relevant for the assessment of the environmental, social and economic performance of new civil engineering works over their entire life cycle, and of existing civil engineering works over their remaining service life and end of life stage.
The sustainability performance assessment of civil engineering works concentrates on the assessment of aspects and impacts of civil engineering works expressed with quantifiable indicators. It includes the assessment of a civil engineering works’ influence on the environmental, social and economic impacts and aspects of the local infrastructure beyond the area of the civil engineering works, and environmental impacts and aspects resulting from transportation of the users of the civil engineering works and the use and exploitation of the infrastructure itself. It excludes environmental, social and economic risk assessment, but the results of the risk assessment should be taken into consideration.
The European Standards developed under this framework do not set the rules for how the different assessment methodologies may provide valuation methods; nor do they prescribe levels, classes or benchmarks for measuring performance.
NOTE   Valuation methods, levels, classes or benchmarks can be prescribed in the requirements for environmental, social and economic performance in the client’s brief, construction regulations, national standards, national codes of practice, civil engineering works assessment and certification schemes, etc.
The rules for assessment of environmental, social and economic aspects of organizations, such as management systems, are not included within this framework. However, the consequences of decisions or actions that influence the environmental, social and economic performance of the object of assessment are taken into account.