The European Window Community is shifting its focus and beginning to pay attention to climate change

The construction sector must prepare for climate change. This viewpoint was expressed by Professor Jörn P. Lass, Director of ift Rosenheim, during the industry meeting "Rosenheim Window Days."

While thermal insulation and energy efficiency have been central concerns for a long time, the industry will pay more attention to the resilience of window, door, and façade structures to extreme weather conditions in the future, such as heatwaves, floods, hail, and hurricanes.

The key topics will include:

• Protection against overheating
  As a result of climate change, extreme heatwaves are becoming more frequent and severe. According to the World Health Organization, between 2030 and 2050, global climate change could result in around 38,000 deaths among the elderly due to heat.
• Resilience to rising water levels
  Climate change poses a threat to regions where flooding was not previously a problem or where the threat was not as serious. Maps of potential flooding in both Germany and Ukraine will change, necessitating window and door constructions adapted to these new threats and capable of withstanding elevated water levels for a certain period.
• Review of wind load requirements
• Burglar resistance of windows and facades can indirectly address the hail problem.
  The war in Ukraine has also raised questions about explosion resistance.

ift Rosenheim has expanded the definition of a building product recognized as climate-safe. It is considered climate-safe if it is produced efficiently, environmentally friendly, free of pollutants, resilient to extreme climate conditions, and can be recycled.

ift Rosenheim has also developed a methodology for evaluating the "climate safety" of components and a label called "climate.safe.build." The assessment includes product criteria and the company's production criteria. The evaluation involves a significant number of criteria, which be daunting for market participants. Nevertheless, Professor Lass noted in his presentation that companies with various testing certificates, EPD (Environmental Product Declarations), RAL, and environmental management system certification will significantly reduce their efforts.