HQE Sustainable Building in Operation


HQE Sustainable Building in Operation (HQE-SB Operation) mainly addresses non-residential real estate stakeholders who are seeking to differentiate and add more value to their buildings, improve their extra-financial rating and access the best financing conditions.
Launched in June 2022, this certification is the fourth version (v4) of HQE-BD Operation. It benefits from practical feedback from the first three versions of the scheme.
- HQE Sustainable Building in Operation certification covers a period of three or five years, whichever the client chooses. It engages the stakeholders in a process of continuous improvement.
- Certification has two focus: Building, covering the owner’s respective requirements, and Management, covering the operators’ respective requirements.
- HQE Building in Operation is a modular scheme and can be adapted to the type of building to be certified: offices, retail outlet, warehouse, hotel, childcare centre, school, campus, museum or library, etc.
- The scheme for health establishments will be finalised and launched by end-2022.
- The HQE-SB Operation scheme was developed with Alliance HQE-GBC and numerous stakeholders. It helps each of our clients to define a path for improvement over the 3 or 5-year period.
Management focus : 16 themes (Click on each pictogram for a summary of the theme)
HQE Sustainable Building in Operation
Indoor air quality
Indoor air pollutants (VOC, CO, CO2, NO2, benzen, fine particles, formaldehyde, mildew) – Ventilation (air flows, filtration, air inlets and outlets, etc.)
Water quality
Physicochemical and bacteriological composition – Water quality and temperature control (prevention of legionella, etc.) – Design of indoor distribution systems, etc.
Electromagnetic exposure
Identification of internal and external sources – Electromagnetic field levels – Equipment and architectural layout to reduce exposure, etc.
Hygrothermal comfort
Time out of the comfort range – Solar factors, air speed, humidity control, user control over thermal comfort, etc.
Acoustic comfort
Location of external and internal noise sources – Insulation from outdoors, between units, impact noise, equipment noise, reverberation time, etc.
Visual comfort
Amount of light (natural light autonomy, lighting level, etc.) – Absence of discomfort (glare, etc.) – Access to views, user control over light ambience, etc.
Transport
Access and flow management – Nearby public transport – Close access to stations and airports, bicycle paths – Facilities encouraging the use of bicycles and electrical vehicles, etc.

Services
Restauration, commerces, activités médicales, sportives, parcs, services locaux à proximité du bâtiment – Services mis à disposition à l’intérieur du bâtiment…
Energy
Performance in energy consumption, all uses (kWhEP/sq.m.year) – Reduction in energy consumption – Special provisions (cold storage, data centres, etc.)
Water management
Performance in drinking water consumption (m³/q.m.year) – Reduction in drinking water consumption – Rainwater management – Waste-water management – recovered water valorisation, etc.

Waste
Waste management (dimensions, location and equipment of waste facilities, etc.) – Quantity and valorisation of work site waste, etc.
Carbon
CO2 emissions from energy consumed during use of the building (kgCO2eq/sq.m.year) and from mobility (kgCO2eq/sq.m.year)
Cost control
Running expenses – Water and waste-related expenses – Operating expenses – Ease of maintenance – Replacement cost control – Overall costs approach, etc.

Local economy
Support for local community – Local employment and integration – Skills development of local stakeholders – Preference for local supplies – Re-employment and reuse – Local energy, etc.

Sustainable Management
Care and cleaning actions, technical systems maintenance, maintenance tasks, relations with users, performance follow-up and risk mitigation, global reporting of the operation (periodical reports, sanitation diary),…

Governance
Identifying, prioritizing and taking into account stakeholders’ needs and expectations
Building focus : 21 themes (Click on each pictogram for a summary of the theme)
HQE Sustainable Building in Operation
Indoor air quality
Indoor air pollutants (VOC, CO, CO2, NO2, benzen, fine particles, formaldehyde, mildew) – Ventilation (air flows, filtration, air inlets and outlets, etc.)
Water quality
Physicochemical and bacteriological composition – Water quality and temperature control (prevention of legionella, etc.) – Design of indoor distribution systems, etc.
Electromagnetic exposure
Identification of internal and external sources – Electromagnetic field levels – Equipment and architectural layout to reduce exposure, etc.
Hygrothermal comfort
Time out of the comfort range – Solar factors, air speed, humidity control, user control over thermal comfort, etc.
Acoustic comfort
Location of external and internal noise sources – Insulation from outdoors, between units, impact noise, equipment noise, reverberation time, etc.
Visual comfort
Amount of light (natural light autonomy, lighting level, etc.) – Absence of discomfort (glare, etc.) – Access to views, user control over light ambience, etc.
Accessibility
Inclusive design, flat circulations, doors suitable for all users – Facilitated horizontal circulation – User-friendly, intuitive orientation – Safety, absence of obstacles, etc.
Transport
Access and flow management – Nearby public transport – Close access to stations and airports, bicycle paths – Facilities encouraging the use of bicycles and electrical vehicles, etc.

Services
Restauration, commerces, activités médicales, sportives, parcs, services locaux à proximité du bâtiment – Services mis à disposition à l’intérieur du bâtiment…
Energy
Performance in energy consumption, all uses (kWhEP/sq.m.year) – Reduction in energy consumption – Special provisions (cold storage, data centres, etc.)
Water management
Performance in drinking water consumption (m³/q.m.year) – Reduction in drinking water consumption – Rainwater management – Waste-water management – recovered water valorisation, etc.

Waste
Waste management (dimensions, location and equipment of waste facilities, etc.) – Quantity and valorisation of work site waste, etc.
Carbon
CO2 emissions from energy consumed during use of the building (kgCO2eq/sq.m.year) and from mobility (kgCO2eq/sq.m.year)

Adaptation to climate change
Management of natural risks due to climate change – Hygrothermal comfort in a deteriorated climate, etc. – Heat island effect, etc.

Biodiversity
Initial assessment of site and project – Ecological potential of site (biotope factor per area, local revegetation, etc.) – Connections on and off site, compensatory measures, etc.
Cost control
Running expenses – Water and waste-related expenses – Operating expenses – Ease of maintenance – Replacement cost control – Overall costs approach, etc.

Local economy
Support for local community – Local employment and integration – Skills development of local stakeholders – Preference for local supplies – Re-employment and reuse – Local energy, etc.

Adaptability
Adaptability of building for same use – Suitability for change of use – Digital adaptability and interoperability, etc.
Work site
Organisation of work site – Work site waste management – Nuisance limitation – Control of water and energy consumption – Work site assessment, etc.
Commissioning
Objectives and mission of commissioning agent – Definition of functional and seasonal tests, works supervision and reception, adjustments optimisation, etc.

Governance
Identifying, prioritizing and taking into account stakeholders’ needs and expectations
Correlation with key public policy, business and investor indicators
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Significant contribution to SDGs 3, 6, 7, 11, 12 and 13
- Some contribution to SDGs 1, 4, 8, 9, 15 and 17
- Indirect contribution to SDGs 2, 5, 10 and 14

EU Green Taxonomy objectives
EU Level(s) indicators
Significant contribution to macro-objectives 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
- No. 1 Greenhouse gas emissions along the building’s lifecycle
- No. 2 Resource-efficient and circular material lifecycles
- No. 3 Efficient use of water resources
- No. 4 Healthy and comfortable spaces
- No. 5 Adaptation and resilience to climate change
Some contribution to macro-objective No. 6 Optimised lifecycle cost and value

How does HQE Sustainable Building in Operation differ from HQE Building Operation?
For buildings in operation, Certivea offers two HQE certifications, each of which have a Building and a Management focus : HQE Sustainable Building in Operation and HQE Building in Operation (HQE-B Operation).
HQE-SB in Operation contains the same themes as HQE-B Operation plus additional ones:
· Building focus (21 themes): the 15 themes of HQE-B in Operation plus six additional ones
· Management focus (16 themes): the 13 themes of HQE-B in Operation plus three additional ones.
Both certifications share the same requirements and level of requirements for the themes common to both, which are central to sustainable development issues.
The six additional themes in the Building focus are central to the major transitions and public policies of the 2020s: circular economy, biodiversity, inclusive design and local economy, etc.
They account for 37% of the total number of the Building component’s requirements and 41% of the total number of points that can be obtained.
The three additional themes in the Management focus account for 31% of the total number of the Management component’s requirements and 24% of the total number of points that can be obtained.
HQE Sustainable Building in Operation: When? How? What cost? What score?, etc.
Recommended phase for certification entry
Component selected by client
- Building or Management?
- and duration of certification (3 or 5 years?)
Contact with a coordinator recognised by Certivea
- Recommended, particularly if you have not sought HQE certification before or if your last HQE certification was several years ago
- 274 professionals are Certivea HQE-BD coordinators.
Contact with Certivea during the certification process
- contact with your Certivea representative by e-mail or phone Online
- contact via Certivea’s ISIA-2 digital platform
Scoring scale
4 levels:
- Good,
- Very Good,
- Excellent,
- Outstanding
Information on certification
- Information may be circulated on the certification in
- Progress At the end of the 3 or 5-year period, information may be circulated on the certification issued by Certivea, indicating the years certified
Amount paid to Certivea for the certification process
- Depends on project and total surface area
- €XXXX excl. tax on average
- Price includes the cost of the auditor, an independent third party commissioned and paid by Certivea.