The new national building code of Finland aims to promote low-carbon construction and smoother permitting

In the future, both negative and positive climate impacts have to be taken into account throughout the entire life cycle of a building. According to the regulation, climate report is required at the final inspection stage. Report must include a calculation of carbon footprint and carbon handprint of the building and construction site. When applying for a building permit, a list of construction products must be submitted and at the final inspection stage it must be updated. This decree enters into force on 1 January 2026. The decree does not apply to detached houses and buildings undergoing extensive renovations and extensions.

With the new legislation, the permitting procedure is moving towards a BIM-based approach. Construction plans must be submitted either in IFC-format or in another machine-readable format. When the required information is standardized in terms of information content, the permit process is expected to become smoother.

Solutions from the RAKSU project

In the RAKSU project at Satakunta University of Applied Sciences, solutions have been sought to optimize the carbon footprint of a construction project. For example, calculations of carbon footprints have been made for pilot cases based on BIM models. The Research has strongly highlighted that increasing dialogue between different actors is the best way to promote both low-carbon construction and the circular economy.

A good opportunity for such dialogue will be available already on September 19, 2025, when we will be hosting an event as part of the project with the topic being the key changes of the Building Code. You are warmly welcomed!