BYG-ERFA

BYG-ERFA (formally Fonden BYG-ERFA) is a Danish independent organisation established in 1977 whose purpose is to help raise the technical quality of construction. It is organised as a foundation and works by collecting, processing and disseminating building-technology experience — practical and research-based knowledge about what goes wrong in buildings and how it can be prevented or repaired. The core product is the 'erfaringsblad' (experience sheet): a concise, dated technical publication that sets out a specific building problem, explains how it can be solved, and describes what can be done at the design stage to prevent it. The sheets are written by external, impartial experts drawn from across the construction sector and are validated by BYG-ERFA's own technical group. They are grouped into six main categories covering the parts of a building — building base, primary building parts, complementary building parts, surface building parts, plumbing/HVAC installations, and the building as a whole — with further sub-groups. Selected sheets are also bundled into themes responding to current problems, such as drainage and sewer installations after the record rainfall of summer 2007, or undertile and roof constructions linked to the DUKO classification scheme. Other themes include energy, the building process, concrete, flat roofs, mould and damp, storm protection, roof dwellings and windows. The audience is broad and professional: designers, consultants and supervisors (architects, engineers and building constructors), executing craftsmen and contractors, building owners and facility managers, housing organisations and urban-renewal companies, building-product manufacturers and suppliers, administrators and insurance companies, and public authorities. Building users also use the sheets, becoming informed counterparts to the professionals. The collection of valid experience sheets numbered 232 as of 1 January 2008, alongside earlier sheets that have since been annulled; because each sheet carries a completion date, the archive also documents past building practice and can be used in inspections, arbitration and other disputes. BYG-ERFA publishes both in print and in full-text electronic versions on its website, which additionally hosts supplementary full-text building-technology publications from bodies such as Byggeskadefonden, Byggeskadefonden vedrørende Byfornyelse, Murerfagets Oplysningsråd, Tagpapbranchens Oplysningsråd and Byggeriets Innovation. A secretariat handles day-to-day work, while an editorial group quality-assures the content. The foundation's guidelines are set by Byggecentrum, Byggeskadefonden, Byggeskadefonden vedrørende Bygningsfornyelse, Erhvervs- og Byggestyrelsen, Forsikring & Pension, Statens Byggeforskningsinstitut and Teknologisk Institut, each of which is represented on the board of Fonden BYG-ERFA. Commercially, BYG-ERFA operates a subscription model. Its website advertises a digital subscription at DKK 5,165 per year including VAT, a student subscription at DKK 310 per year including VAT, and a WAYF subscription at DKK 33,220 per year including VAT, with individual experience sheets also sold separately at DKK 180 including VAT. The organisation also runs webinars and seminars to build technical knowledge and connect actors in the construction industry. Its stated promise is that subscribers can 'build on experience' — accessing more than 300 experiences gathered in one place, quality-assured and easy to find by problem type.

BYG-ERFA was established in 1977 as an independent organisation with the aim of helping to increase the technical quality of construction in Denmark. It is organised as a foundation, Fonden BYG-ERFA, and describes itself as independent. From the outset its method has been to gather building-technology experience — both from research and from practice — and to process and disseminate it in the form of 'erfaringsblade' (experience sheets). The purpose is to prevent and remedy failures and damage in the most appropriate way, and thereby to feed good practical building-technology experience back into the industry as widely as possible. The sheets are written by external, impartial experts from all parts of the construction sector and are validated by BYG-ERFA's technical group. A secretariat carries out the daily work, while an editorial group quality-assures the content. The foundation's guidelines are laid down by a set of stakeholder organisations — Byggecentrum, Byggeskadefonden, Byggeskadefonden vedrørende Bygningsfornyelse, Erhvervs- og Byggestyrelsen, Forsikring & Pension, Statens Byggeforskningsinstitut and Teknologisk Institut — and a representative of each of these organisations sits on the board of Fonden BYG-ERFA. The collection has grown over the decades. As of 1 January 2008 the set of currently valid experience sheets numbered 232, in addition to earlier sheets that had been annulled. Each sheet carries the date on which it was completed, so the content describes the practice valid at the time of publication; this makes the archive useful not only as current guidance but also as a record of earlier building practice, for example in connection with inspections and expert assessments ('syn og skøn'), arbitration cases and other disputes. The sheets are organised into six main groups with sub-groups that walk through the parts of a building: building base, primary building parts, complementary building parts, surface building parts, plumbing/HVAC installations, and the building as a whole. Within, for example, 'primary building parts', the content is divided into sub-groups covering terrain, external walls, internal walls, decks, roof and primary building parts as a whole. To make the sheets easier to access and use, some of them are gathered into themes that respond to a current building problem or a subject of broad appeal. One example is the theme on 'sewer and drainage installations', which became relevant for many homeowners after the record rainfall in the summer of 2007. Another is the theme 'undertile and roof constructions', published in connection with the establishment of the voluntary classification scheme DUKO. Other themes include energy, the building process, concrete, flat roofs, mould and damp, storm protection, roof dwellings and windows. Under each theme the relevant experience sheets are supplemented with literature references and references to other organisations working on the subject. The sheets are published both in print and in electronic full-text versions on the website, which also contains supplementary full-text versions of building-technology publications from bodies such as Byggeskadefonden, Byggeskadefonden vedrørende Byfornyelse, Murerfagets Oplysningsråd, Tagpapbranchens Oplysningsråd and Byggeriets Innovation. In its current form the organisation presents itself as a subscription-based knowledge service. Its website offers a digital subscription, a student subscription and a WAYF subscription, and also allows individual experience sheets to be bought without a subscription. It states that subscribers get access to all experience sheets, that more than 300 experiences are gathered in one place, and that the knowledge is quality-assured. It also runs webinars and seminars to develop building-technology knowledge and to bring together actors from the construction industry.

• 2008

  As of 1 January 2008 the collection of valid experience sheets numbers 232.

• 2007

  Record rainfall in the summer prompts the theme on sewer and drainage installations.

• 1977

  BYG-ERFA is established as an independent organisation, organised as Fonden BYG-ERFA.

• The theme 'undertile and roof constructions' is published in connection with the establishment of the voluntary DUKO classification scheme.

• The website offers digital, student and WAYF subscriptions and individual sheet sales, and hosts supplementary full-text publications.

Independent, quality-assured building-technology knowledge provider for the Danish construction sector, sold via subscription and individual sheets.

• Erfaringsblade (experience sheets)

  Concise, dated technical publications describing a building problem, its solution and preventive measures at the design stage.

• Digital subscription

  Annual subscription giving access to all experience sheets; advertised at DKK 5,165 per year including VAT.

• Student subscription

  Annual subscription for students; advertised at DKK 310 per year including VAT.

• WAYF subscription

  Annual subscription; advertised at DKK 33,220 per year including VAT.

• Individual experience sheets

  Sheets can be bought without a subscription; advertised at DKK 180 including VAT per sheet.

• Webinars and seminars

  Events to develop building-technology knowledge and connect construction-industry actors.

1. 1Byg på erfaringer | BYG-ERFAbyg-erfa.dk
2. 2BYG-ERFA (Wikidata)wikidata.org
3. 3BYG-ERFA (Danish Wikipedia)da.wikipedia.org