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1. Structural integrity of construction works The construction works, and their relevant parts, shall be designed, constructed, used, maintained and deconstructed or demolished in such a way that all relevant loads and any combinations of them are sustained and transmitted into the ground safely and without causing deflections or deformations of any part of the construction works, or movement of the ground as to impair the durability, structural resistance, serviceability and robustness of the construction works.

The structure and structural elements of construction works shall be designed, manufactured, constructed, maintained and deconstructed or demolished in such a way that they meet the following requirements:

(a) they are durable for their intended life span (durability requirement);

(b) they are capable of withstanding all actions and influences likely to occur during construction, use and deconstruction or demolition with an appropriate degree of reliability and in a cost-effective way (structural resistance requirement) and it shall not:

(i) collapse;

(ii) deform to an inadmissible degree;

(iii) damage other parts of the construction works, fittings or installed equipment as a result of major deformation of the load-bearing construction;

(c) they remain within their specified service requirements during their intended life span with appropriate degrees of reliability and in an economic way (serviceability requirement);

(d) they maintain their integrity appropriately when faced with adverse events, including earthquake, explosion, fire, impact or consequences of human errors, to an extent disproportionate to the original cause (robustness requirement).

2. Fire safety of construction works The construction works and the relevant parts of them shall be designed, constructed, used, maintained and deconstructed or demolished in such a way that an outbreak of fire is appropriately prevented, including through adequate usage of detectors and alarms. The fire and smoke shall be contained and controlled, and the occupants of the construction works shall be protected against fire and smoke. Appropriate arrangements shall have been made to ensure safe escape from and evacuation of the construction works for all its occupants. The construction works and any part of them shall be designed, constructed, used and maintained in such a way that they meet the following requirements in the case of a fire:

(a) the load-bearing capacity of the construction works is maintained for a specific period of time to give occupants time to leave the building;

(b) the rescue and emergency services’ access is ensured and there are appropriate means to facilitate their work;

(c) the generation and spread of fire and smoke is controlled and limited;

(d) the spread of the fire and smoke to the adjacent construction works is limited;

(e) the safety of rescue and emergency services is taken into consideration.

3. Protection against adverse hygiene and health impacts related to construction works The construction works and any part of them shall be designed, constructed, used, maintained and deconstructed or demolished in such a way that they, throughout their life cycle, do not adversely affect the hygiene or health and safety of construction workers, occupants, visitors or neighbours as a result of any of the following:

(a) the emissions of hazardous substances, volatile organic compounds or hazardous particles, including microplastics, into indoor air;

(b) the emission of hazardous radiation into the indoor environment;

(c) the release of hazardous substances into drinking water or substances which have an otherwise negative impact on drinking water;

(d) the passage of moisture to the interior of the building;

(e) faulty discharge of waste water, emission of flue gases or faulty disposal of solid or liquid waste into the indoor environment.

4. Safety and accessibility of construction works

The construction works and any part of them shall be designed, constructed, used, maintained and deconstructed or demolished in such a way that, throughout their life cycle, they do not present unacceptable risks of accidents or damage in service or in operation, including slipping, falling, collision, burns, electrocution and injury from falling or braking parts caused by external factors like extreme weather conditions or explosions. In particular, construction works shall be designed and built taking into consideration accessibility and use for disabled persons and persons with limited mobility or orientation.

5. Resistance to the passage of sound and acoustic properties of construction works The construction works and any part of them shall be designed, constructed, used, maintained and deconstructed or demolished in such a way that they provide, throughout their life cycle, reasonable protection against adverse sound load through air or materials from other parts of the same construction work or sources outside its structure. That protection shall ensure that that sound load:

(a) does not create immediate or chronic risks for the human health;

(b) allows occupants and people nearby to sleep, rest and engage in their normal activities in satisfactory conditions. The construction works and any part of them shall be designed, constructed, used and maintained in such a way that they provide sufficient sound absorption and reflection where these acoustic properties are required.

6. Energy efficiency and thermal performance of construction works The construction works, including automated processes within them, and their heating, cooling, lighting and ventilation installations shall be designed, built, and maintained in such a way that the amount of energy they require during their use phase shall be low, when account is taken of:

(a) the target for nearly zero energy buildings and zero-emissions buildings in the Union;

(b) the outdoor climatic conditions;

(c) the indoor climate conditions.

7. Emissions into the outdoor environment of construction works The construction works and any part of them shall be designed, constructed, used, maintained and deconstructed or demolished in such a way that, throughout their life cycle, they are not a risk to the outdoor environment, as a result of any of the following:

(a) the release of hazardous substances, microplastics, or radiation into air, ground water, marine or surface waters or soil;

(b) faulty discharge of waste water, emission of flue gases or faulty disposal of solid or liquid waste to the outdoor environment;

(c) damage to the building, including damage through the transport of water-borne contaminants to the foundations of the building;

(d) the release of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.

8. Sustainable use of natural resources of construction works The construction works and any part of them shall be designed, constructed, used, maintained and deconstructed or demolished in such a way that, throughout their life cycle, the use of natural resources is sustainable and ensures the following:

(a) the maximisation of the resource efficient use of raw and secondary materials of high environmental sustainability;

(b) the minimisation of the overall amount of raw materials used;

(c) the minimisation of the overall amount of embodied energy;

(d) the minimisation of the waste generated;

(e) the minimisation of the overall use of drinking and service water;

(f) the maximisation of the reuse or recyclability of the construction works, in part or in whole, and of their materials after deconstruction or demolition;

(g) the ease of deconstruction.