How to deliver healthy, sustainable, and resilient buildings for people
Since 2015, the Healthy Homes Barometer has been tracking the state of European Union (EU) homes. The 2024 edition has been renamed the Healthy Buildings Barometer (HBB) to reflect the fact that it now extends to all major building types, giving us significant insights into all our buildings and their users’ health.
The 2024 edition also includes a comprehensive framework for healthy buildings based on scientific research and illustrated through 12 case studies from across the EU.
Policymakers at national and EU levels, as well as building sector stakeholders, can use this Healthy Buildings Barometer and its framework as a guide.
Why buildings matter
- 1 in 4 Europeans live in buildings where indoor air quality falls below national standards
- Over 30 million people in the EU live in homes that are too dark
- Accumulated investment in renovations in 2020 were 40% lower than required to reach EU goals
- In 2020, CO2 emissions were 18% higher than they should be to reach EU climate goals
We need to take action
The Healthy Buildings Barometer looks at the state of Europe’s building stock and what needs to be done to ensure healthy homes, workplaces, schools, and hospitals for everyone. It identifies three core actions:
Accelerate the adoption of a comprehensive definition and framework of healthy buildings to drive progress
This year’s Healthy Buildings Barometer provides a framework that defines healthy buildings and the different dimensions needed to ensure them.
Prioritise high-quality data that tracks building health and occupant well-being
EU-level data on buildings is often not available, incomplete, or not measured regularly. To get an overall picture of the health of buildings in the EU, this needs to change.
Integrate health, sustainability and resilience in building policies
Political action at EU and member state level is needed to introduce policies and regulations that integrate a multi-dimensional focus on building health, sustainability and resilience.
