82 OFFERING THE SAME FRAME OF REFERENCE FOR ALL Over time, the world of construction has seen a proliferation of international (ISO), European (EN), and national – even infranational – standards. Today, several thousands of them set guidelines for the profession. There are over 1,500 international standards (I-Codes) drawn up by international standardization bodies with the support of the International Code Council. This number continues to rise in step with the progress made by the building sector in terms of sustainable and environmentally friendly practices. However, these standards must be sustainable and easy to understand, so that professionals perceive them not as constraints, but as real levers for development. At the cost of such a profusion, one of the great merits of standardization is encouraging people today to consider the life cycle of a structure and its different impacts, from its design, through its construction, operation and renovation, to its end of life. Another contribution it makes is to cause the profession to view a project, whatever it may be, in its complexity through a systemic approach. This takes into account different aspects, such as the interoperability between those in charge of the building’s engineering and that of the implemented information systems, modeling the building’s life cycle, designing it using a collaborative approach… The extension to Oslo’s international airport (Norway) in 2017 is an example of the key role that interoperability standards play in a project. By imposing the use of the digital model on all those involved in the project and demanding that deliverables be submitted in IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) format, the contracting authority avoided wasting thousands of hours’ work manually converting over two million single items such as doors, walls, sprinklers, lights, etc. Another example: a universal collaborative program such as Open BIM relies on open work processes and norms to improve a building’s design, construction and use. STANDARDIZED RENOVATION? Standardization is becoming increasingly specialized in terms of requirements for areas such as decarbonization, energy transition and use of materials. On a tried-and-tested foundation of generic ISO or EN standards, an edifice has gradually been built of specific norms, which are often competing against each other as they are largely inspired by national regulations. This is true of the British BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) and the American LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards, which both concern construction’s environmental impact, and the French HQE (Haute Qualité environnementale) norm, which is more user-focused and includes project management. However, the most significant change of direction is undoubtedly linked to the rise in renovation. 80% to 90% of buildings that will certainly still be in operation SPoTLIGHT
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