Stručni rad
https://doi.org/10.37023/ee.12.1-2.10
SUSTAINABILITY AND INDOOR AIR QUALITY IN THE EUROPEAN CONSTRUCTION SECTOR: INSIGHTS FROM TWO NATIONAL SURVEYS IN CROATIA
Vlasta Zanki
orcid.org/0000-0002-4477-6375
; Geotehnički fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Varaždin, Hrvatska
*
Filip Kramar
orcid.org/0009-0007-2452-588X
; Geotehnički fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Varaždin, Hrvatska
Franciska Erdelj
orcid.org/0009-0002-4835-0192
; Geotehnički fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Varaždin, Hrvatska
* Dopisni autor.
Sažetak
The European construction sector plays a critical role in achieving climate neutrality, accounting for nearly 40% of
global energy consumption and over one-third of greenhouse gas emissions. EU policy developments – such as the Green Deal,
the Climate Law, the Renovation Wave, the EU Taxonomy, and the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD)
– increasingly embed sustainability, life-cycle performance, and Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) into mandatory
requirements for both new construction and renovation. This paper contextualizes these European trends and presents insights
from two national surveys conducted in Croatia: (1) a 2023 survey assessing sustainability awareness among 199
professionals, and (2) a 2025 survey assessing the level of knowledge and implementation readiness regarding Indoor Air
Quality (IAQ) and Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) among 62 experts. While the EU has established a comprehensive
regulatory and financial framework for decarbonizing the built environment, findings reveal significant knowledge gaps in key
areas, including sustainability assessment, regulatory familiarity, IAQ provisions, and life-cycle evaluation – challenges that
mirror those reported across Europe. The paper discusses how these gaps may hinder alignment with EU sustainability goals,
and it identifies priority areas for professional capacity-building, regulatory uptake, and integration of IAQ into sustainable
building design. In this context, the identified regulatory and knowledge gaps, together with emerging EU sustainability
requirements, also point to new opportunities for a stronger involvement of environmental engineers in the planning,
assessment, and implementation of sustainable building practices across the European construction sector.
Ključne riječi
sustainability; construction sector; EPBD; IEQ/IAQ; life-cycle assessment
Hrčak ID:
341613
URI
Datum izdavanja:
18.12.2025.
Posjeta: 213 *