Kirstine Bak Winther Is a Sustainability Specialist at DS Flexhal

As a sustainability specialist at DS Flexhal, Kirstine Bak Winther is responsible for matters including LCA calculations, energy performance calculations and indoor climate. She is the only person in her role – and that is both one of the best and most demanding aspects of the job.

Text: Cecilie Grønning Krieger

When Kirstine Bak Winther returned from her second period of maternity leave, she began considering a change of job. After almost seven years as a consulting engineer, she wanted to try something new.

It was her partner who spotted the position at DS Flexhal on LinkedIn.

“He said it was perfect for me. I wasn’t sure whether I was ready to change jobs with two young children at home, but when I read the job advertisement, I could see that it was exactly what I wanted.”

In May 2025, she started as a sustainability specialist at DS Flexhal.

Better to Know 90 Per Cent About One Area

Kirstine holds a Bachelor of Engineering in building design, specialising in energy and indoor climate. Previously, she worked across a broad range of areas, including energy, indoor climate, plumbing calculations and DGNB certification.

But she had wanted to specialise for a long time.

“I would rather know 90 per cent about what I do than 20 per cent about 17 different things. Now I know that when legislation changes or new standards are introduced, that is my area to focus on.”

At DS Flexhal, Kirstine works on matters including LCA calculations – Life Cycle Assessment – which are used to calculate a building’s climate impact. She performs the initial calculations, follows the projects as solutions and materials change, and prepares the final documentation for the authorities. She also works with energy performance calculations, daylight and thermal indoor climate.

As a result, she is involved in virtually all of DS Flexhal’s projects.

When LCA Influences the Project

The work often begins as early as the tender stage. Here, Kirstine works with the sales department to ensure that the proposed solutions and materials can remain within the CO₂ requirements.

“I calculate every project before we even win the tender to ensure that the projects can comply with the CO2 requirements.”

One project she particularly highlights is Beierholm’s new office, which DS Flexhal is currently building in Hobro. The initial calculations showed that the project needed to be optimised to comply with the LCA requirements.

Together with architect Mikkel Rafn Chemnitz, Kristian Bue Jensen from the sales department and Poul Wulff Rasmussen, who liaised with Beierholm, Kirstine therefore explored various options. They changed several parameters, such as the design, layout, choice of materials and structural principles, until they achieved a result that worked well for the LCA calculation, the project finances and the client’s wishes.

For Kirstine, the project became a good example of what can happen when LCA is actively incorporated into project development.

The Freedom and Challenge of Being the Only One

Kirstine is the only person at DS Flexhal with her particular role. And if you ask her what the best thing about the job is, the answer may be slightly surprising:

“It is probably the fact that I have full responsibility within my field. It suits me extremely well that I can build my own systems and templates and help set the direction for how DS Flexhal should comply with the stricter climate requirements in the future.

She has been given considerable freedom to build her own systems, prioritise her time and find the best way to complete her tasks.

But what she likes about the job is also one of its greatest challenges.

Project deadlines cannot be moved simply because several of them land on Kirstine’s desk at the same time.

“Sometimes everything just happens at once. The hardest part is when five projects all require my time simultaneously.”

Her manager helps her prioritise, and as Kirstine has become more familiar with the projects and the organisation, she has become better at adding upcoming submissions to her calendar early.

Independence requires responsibility, but it is also built on trust – one of DS’s core values.

“I joined from outside the company and was told from day one: ‘We trust that you’ve got this.’ I had never experienced that before. It helps to have a manager and a company that support me and trust that I have everything under control.”

More to Calculate in the Future

Kirstine does not expect her field of work to become any smaller. The documentation burden on projects is growing, and if DS Flexhal also takes on more projects, there will be more work to do.

She therefore does not necessarily believe that she will still be handling the area alone in five years’ time.

“I still hope that I will be here, but I also think there will be more of us doing what I do now.”

Until then, the role suits her well: a clearly defined specialist field she can immerse herself in, responsibility for her own decisions and expertise that is put to use across projects.