Understanding the Emergence of Policies – Revising Building Regulations in Light of the Three Pillars of Sustainability

The building regulations for the Norwegian construction industry (TEK10) undergo a major revision in 2015. This case study firstly examines to what degree social and economic consequences are taken in consideration when deciding energy (environmental) requirements in buildings. Secondly, it looks at the analysis and assessments that lay the basis for the decision of new requirements. The economic and social consequences of new building requirements are significant. These are, however, found to be to a smaller degree taken in consideration than the environmental perspective. Higher requirements to energy use in buildings are expected to drive the housing market up.