Challenge

The Climate Knowledge Cell (KCK) of the Mobility and Public Works Department (MOW) wants to develop a TOTEM (Tool to Optimise the Total Environmental impact of Materials) for infrastructure, analogous to the already existing TOTEM tool for buildings. The tool should allow the environmental impact (including CO2 emissions) of infrastructure projects to be calculated and estimated over the entire life cycle, starting from the design phase, with the aim of drastically reducing the environmental impact and associated costs. In total, the tool will take into account 19 different environmental indicators. 

On the one hand, the tool is useful for the project managers (procurers) of MOW. They can take the information generated by the tool into account when issuing public contracts and evaluating bids for infrastructure works (in the form of selection and award criteria and implementation conditions). On the other hand, the tool is also an added value for designers and contractors of infrastructure works. They can use the tool to calculate and optimise the environmental impact of their designs and thus meet the criteria. 

With TOTEM Infra, MOW wants to make an important contribution to making the infrastructure sector more sustainable. This fits in with MOW's Climate Plan, which shows that 82% of greenhouse gas emissions for the policy area are situated in the construction and maintenance of infrastructure.