Directive (EU) 2024/1275 (EPBD) shifts the ambition from near-zero-energy buildings (NZEBs) to zero-emission buildings (NZEBs), and incorporates life-cycle carbon calculation as a requirement for the first time. The timetable is unequivocal: from 1 January 2028 it will be mandatory for new buildings with more than 1,000 m² of usable area, and from 1 January 2030 for all new buildings.

This means that, in a few years, any new construction project will have to be accompanied by the calculation of its Global Warming Potential throughout its life cycle. It is not a minor procedure: it requires material data, standardised calculation methods and, above all, integrating it from the early stages of the project.

For construction and engineering companies, the advantage of preparing now is twofold. On the one hand, the rush and cost overruns of doing it against the clock are avoided. On the other hand, having the ability to calculate and optimise the life cycle becomes a competitive argument in tenders and tenders, where the environmental solvency of the project is increasingly valued.