The Second-Generation Eurocodes

Since the 1990s, the Eurocode series of standards has been the reference for structural design and execution throughout Europe. Estimates suggest that some 500,000 engineers worldwide use the Eurocodes in their daily work. In many countries, including Germany, the Eurocodes have also been introduced as technical regulations and are therefore part of the regulatory framework.

This said, construction has changed significantly over the last 30 years. Advances in technology, new materials and design approaches, and changing regulatory needs, for example with regard to climate adaptation, have made it necessary to thoroughly revise and expand the series of standards. In 2012, work began on the second-generation Eurocodes, which is now nearing completion.

In order to prepare professionals for the forthcoming changes, DIBt, together with the chair of CEN/TC 250, the Technical Committee responsible for the Eurocodes, and the chairs of its subcommittees, organised a hybrid conference for an international audience in May 2023. 

The European Commission, in particular its Joint Research Centre (JRC), the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Building (BMWSB), the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV) and the Initiative for Parctice-Oriented Rules in Building Construction (PRB) supported the event. The conference attracted over 1500 professionals from 66 countries. It focused on the changes the second generation of Eurocodes will bring to engineers. For technical details, please refer to the video recordings and presentations from the conference. In this article, we will outline the key developments. 

A key objective of the revision was to make the Eurocode standards more user-friendly, for example by reducing redundancy and removing content that is less relevant for practitioners. At the same time, the TC was charged with improving the structure of the standards to make them easier to understand and more accessible to professionals in their daily work. 

Standardisation experts also stress that the aim was evolution, not revolution. Anyone familiar with the first generation should find the new series of standards easy to use. Maintaining continuity while adapting the standards to today's needs was therefore a major concern for all involved.

However, although the focus was on the practicality and usability from the outset, the second generation of standards has become quite comprehensive – and quite complex. While complexity may not seem a big issue, given that calculation programmes have long become a standard feature in any engineering firm, there is still a desire for comprehensible structural design rules that allow engineers to verify the results delivered by the programmes, at least to some extent. 

For this reason, so-called Easycodes are now being developed for some Eurocodes. These ‘light versions’ are supposed to focus on, and provide guidance for, the basic day-to-day design tasks.

The second generation of the Eurocodes contains numerous adaptations to the state of the art. Novel materials, technologies, design methods and requirements have been included. 

Structural glass has been added to the series of standards. Design and execution are comprehensively covered in the new Eurocode 10. Many Eurocodes also take into account ‘green’ product variants, which sometimes come with different features.

Methods and design approaches have also been further developed. Numerical methods, such as the finite element method (FEM), are increasingly being used in steel construction.

All Eurocodes, starting with EN 1990 ‘Basis of structural design’, also make a greater distinction between existing and new buildings. The aim is to promote the preservation and continued use of existing buildings, which makes strong environmental sense, the keyword being ‘embodied carbon’. The Member States can ‘fine-tune’ and adjust the provisions contained in the Eurocodes to the local regulatory and safety objectives through the National Annexes.

The new generation of the Eurocodes also allows for addressing climate change effects, such as extreme weather events. For example, the second-generation Eurocodes introduce a stronger correlation between the probability of failure and the consequences of failure in the form of ‘consequence classes’, which provide a tool for risk assessment.

The second generation of Eurocodes is the result of years of intensive collaboration and consensus achieved between hundreds of experts from all over Europe. Steve Denton, Chairman of CEN/TC 250, emphasised that the Eurocodes are a collaborative European effort that brings together the EU's extensive engineering expertise and makes it accessible to the wider professional community.

The European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) aims to have all second-generation Eurocodes, including the National Annexes, completed and ready for implementation by 30 September 2027. First self-contained packages of second-generation standards should be ready for regulatory implementation, notably within Eurocode 3 for steel structures.

Continuity with the first generation Eurocodes will facilitate the transition to the second generation standards. Nevertheless, all Eurocodes contain important further developments. At the DIBt conference, the chairs of the CEN/TC 250 subcommittees presented the key changes for experts. To support building professionals in their daily work, topic-specific conferences and training courses offered by different providers must and certainly will follow. The dialogue about the second generation standards already opens the next chapter to updating the Eurocodes. As a result of the vast project that the current review presented, the Eurocode design and execution standards are to be reviewed and updated in a more continuous fashion.

Since the conference, DIBt has had the opportunity to share knowledge about and around the Eurocodes on numerous occasions. Following the event, we received enquiries from interested parties from all over the world. More widespread use of the Eurocodes can help strengthen trade relations and build bridges – in every sense of the word.