IBO ÖKOPASS - Criteria
- Building passes
- IBO ÖKOPASS:
- Criteria
- Assessment
- Rating
- Assessed buildings
Assessment criteria
The main criteria of the IBO ÖKOPASS were divided up into two groups, quality of use and ecological quality. The variety of possible criteria was reduced to 8 for the IBO ÖKOPASS:
Quality of use:
- Comfort in summer and winter
- Indoor air quality
- Noise protection
- Daylight and insolation
- Electromagnetic quality
Ecological quality:
- Ecological quality of the building materials and structures
- Overall energy concept
- Use of water
Comfort in winter and summer
The statutory requirements regarding residential characteristics in summer and minimum thermal insulation constitute the starting points for these assessments. The smaller the tendency of a flat to overheat and the higher the thermal quality of windows and walls, the higher the thermal comfort in the flats and the better the rating in the IBO ÖKOPASS.
Indoor air quality
At present, there are no statutory requirements regarding the quality of the indoor air in a flat. So the assessment criteria in this area are modelled on the current international state of research and the precautionary principle in particular: The smaller the pollutant load of indoor air, the better. Guide values will probably be prescribed by law in Austria in the near future. The IBO ÖKOPASS already applies these guide values at present.
Sound insulation
The statutory requirements regarding sound insulation constitute the starting point. In order for flats to be protected from noise in an urban environment, they need a good sound insulation. The better the sound insulation and the smaller the ambient noise loading from the surroundings, the more peaceful the flats. And so this kind of flats gets a better rating.
Daylight and insolation
The degree of brightness necessary for flats is only defined to a very limited extent by legislation - the ÖKOPASS, however, attaches great importance to this criterion because sunlight and brightness are very important for people’s well-being. The more flats in a residential complex have a daylight factor of 2% and a direct insolation time of more than 1.5 hours in winter, the better the rating in the IBO ÖKOPASS.
Electromagnetic quality
The limit values for the admissible intensity of electric and magnetic fields in a flat are defined in the ÖNORM standards. These assessment criteria are based on the precautionary principle: The smaller the electric and magnetic field load, the better. The ÖKOPASS defines limit values that are lower than the limit values of the ÖNORM standards by a factor of 1000.
Ecological quality of building materials and structures
Currently there are no statutory requirements regarding the ecological quality of building materials and structures. For this reason, this assessment is modelled on the current building standard. The more ecological improvements compared to the building standards, the better the rating in the IBO ÖKOPASS. For example, the avoidance of PVC or polyurethanes has a positive effect. The reduction of greenhouse gases during the construction of the residential complex compared to building according to the current construction standard plays an important part as well.
Overall energy concept
The overall energy concept does not only reward a low energy requirement for heating with a better rating, but also the way in which the heating energy is supplied, such as district heat, the integration of solar energy and the reduction of the consumption of electric energy in the communal installations.
Use of water
In this category, the use of the resource water that will be so important in the future is assessed. Water-saving fittings, water-saving buttons for flush toilets, enough drainage areas in the outdoor facilities of the residential complex or the use of rain water contribute to a good rating.
