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Managing Sustainability Systematically: Guidelines and Terms of Reference for the ASIG

Client

ASIG Housing Cooperative

Period

Since 2022

Result

ASIG Sustainable Building Guideline
ASIG Sustainable Building Specifications

For the ASIG housing cooperative, we developed an organisation-wide Sustainable Building Guideline. The aim was to anchor sustainability strategically and to establish it as a binding basis for the planning, construction and operation of properties. In addition, a set of specifications was drawn up defining concrete instructions for implementation.

The initial situation

ASIG pursues the goal of systematically integrating sustainability aspects into its property development and management. Ecological, economic and socio-cultural requirements were to be given equal weight and anchored across the entire life cycle of the buildings.

Existing sustainability requirements were partly defined on a project-specific basis, but an over-arching strategic instrument providing consistent guidance for all parties involved was missing. In particular, there was a need for clearly formulated goals, uniform assessment principles and practical tools for integrating sustainability into planning, decision-making and operating pro-cesses.

International and national sustainability principles as well as recognised standards such as the Swiss Sustainable Building Standard (SNBS) were also to be taken into account. The aim was to make sustainability measurable, to clarify responsibilities and to ensure binding implementation.

Our contribution

We developed the ASIG Sustainable Building Guideline as a strategic framework document at the level of vision and organisation. It defines sustainability goals, relevant criteria as well as concrete approaches and tools for the various stakeholders along the entire property life cycle. The dimensions of ecology, economy and socio-culture are given equal weight and aligned with international and local sustainability goals.

A Sustainable Building set of specifications was drawn up as an integral component. It sets out the objectives for each criterion – from resource conservation, energy efficiency, climate protection and biodiversity & climate adaptation through to economic viability & regional economy, user needs, health and quality of life. It also defines assessment benchmarks and clarifies responsibilities in line with the SIA project phases. For each construction project, a project-specific set of specifications with a binding target agreement is derived from it.

The result is a practical management instrument that systematically integrates sustainability into decision-making processes and enables quality-assured implementation across all project phases.

Contact

Senior Advisor

Heike Zeifang