The building sector has an important role to play in the discussion about global climate change: Buildings generate almost 40 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions worldwide. It’s no coincidence that, in its 2007 action plan, the European Union stated that at least 20 percent of primary energy could be saved by 2020 if the potential savings above all in residential and commercial real estate were exploited.

As a result, the national states have launched a number of laws and ordinances. Presenting an energy performance certificate is now mandatory across Europe when renting or selling a building. But there are also economic reasons in favor of sustainable building: Over 80 percent of the costs for a structure are incurred in the actual usage phase. Any additional costs for energy-efficient planning and construction have usually been amortized within just a few years.

Because of this, the pressure on designers is growing. Building clients demand more than just an attractive design – they also want to know what effects the design will have on the future energy consumption of their building and ask for using sustainable raw materials. This is a challenge especially for architects, but also engineers play an important role here.

Nemetschek’s software solutions are designed to simplify the work of designers. This naturally includes environmentally aware building; as such, almost every company in the Design business unit has the appropriate software solutions in its product range – reflecting the Nemetschek group’s principle of offering multiple solutions to meet varying requirements.