Absolute sustainable CO₂-limits for buildings should reflect their function. A case study of four building typologies

Absolute sustainability gains increasing attention in the building industry. Absolute climate limits is often expressed in kg CO₂-eq/m²/yr. This type of threshold has one main problem; it is specified per area, which rewards larger buildings regardless of the need that they fulfill. This way of setting climate limits may thus lead to increased future impacts from buildings. The purpose of this study is developing principles for differentiated CO₂-limits for buildings, that reflect the importance of the function that the building delivers to its users. We use the Fulfillment of Human Needs sharing principle building on a sufficientarian ethical norm. The method was demonstrated on four buildings; residential, university, hospital and kindergarten, and guidance is given on how to apply the method for any building typology. This study should be seen as demonstration of a concept for determining different CO₂-limits for different building typologies.