Summary
Details
- Switzerland
SIA 2032 can be used by professionals involved in building design and construction. It is intended for anyone assessing the environmental impact of buildings—particularly during early design and planning phases where key decisions on materials and construction are made.
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Overview
SIA 2032, titled Grey energy – life cycle assessment for building construction, defines how to calculate the environmental impacts associated with the construction phase of buildings. It focuses on “grey energy,” meaning the non-renewable primary energy used to produce, transport, and dispose of building materials, as well as the associated greenhouse gas emissions. The guideline was first introduced in 2010 and revised in 2020 to reflect updated data and methods. It establishes consistent calculation principles based on life cycle assessment (LCA), enabling comparable results across projects. SIA 2032 forms part of the broader SIA standards framework used in Swiss construction. It is commonly applied alongside other standards such as SIA 2040 (energy efficiency pathway), supporting a full lifecycle perspective that considers both operational and embodied impacts.
Reporting/Methodology Requirements
SIA 2032 sets out a structured methodology for calculating environmental impacts during the construction (embodied) phase of buildings. It requires practitioners to define system boundaries, collect material quantities, and apply standardised emission and energy factors derived from recognised datasets such as ecoinvent and KBOB.
The method focuses on two main indicators:
Non-renewable primary energy (grey energy)
Greenhouse gas emissions (CO₂-equivalent)
To ensure usability in early design phases, the guideline introduces simplifications and standard values, while allowing more detailed calculations as projects progress. It also standardises how lifecycle stages are considered and reported, improving reproducibility and comparability between projects.
The 2020 revision expanded the methodology to include existing buildings, introducing concepts such as residual value and refurbishment impacts to better account for renovation scenarios.
Current Status
SIA 2032 is widely recognised in Switzerland as the reference method for assessing embodied environmental impacts in buildings. It is not a law, but it is commonly used in planning, design competitions, and sustainability assessments, and often referenced in public-sector projects.
Its importance has grown as attention has shifted from operational energy to whole-life carbon and lifecycle impacts. The guideline is increasingly used alongside national energy and climate strategies, including the “2000-watt society” targets and SIA 2040 benchmarks.
The alignment of SIA 2032 with European standards such as EN 15804 has also improved interoperability with international LCA frameworks, supporting its continued relevance in both Swiss and broader European contexts.
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