REDUCING UPFRONT EMBODIED CARBON

THE DESIGNER’S ROLE IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Carbon footprint is no new term. The seriousness of the concept is well known in industries globally, and promisingly seems to be maintaining momentum. We’ve heard of our personal footprint and that of large corporations, we’ve seen the news reports and activism, and heard the urgent pleas to turn it all around. But when it comes to construction, the beginning of a project’s carbon emissions occurs long before the actual building process does. When looking back is no longer an option, the steps ahead have to transform, and for those in the built environment, putting the right foot forward doesn’t have to be complicated.

‘Upfront Embodied Carbon’ refers to the amount of Carbon Dioxide produced by all the activities that lead up to the practical completion of a building – extraction of raw materials, transport and processing of construction inputs, site establishment, and building construction. Forming part of the full lifecycle assessment of buildings, this considers their contribution to atmospheric carbon from the manufacturing of the materials used to construct them, to the emissions of the equipment used to demolish them.

Embodied Carbon, or embodied emissions, make up over 10% of the approximately 40% of total global carbon emissions that the built environment is responsible for. These embodied emissions will account for half of the total carbon footprint of new construction between now and 2050.

With a persistent lifespan, once the structures are built, upfront embodied carbon emissions are regarded as locked in; they cannot be reduced, not even by increasing energy efficiency within the building or refining sustainable building management systems. They are not dependent on how well or badly the building performs during its use, but rather on how efficiently and sustainably the building was designed. Once the design phase has been passed, the fate of its consequences is sealed.

Reaching for Zero

In an effort to meet the established 1.5°C and Net Zero commitments, curbing Upfront Embodied Carbon as part of a whole life carbon approach is imperative. A key question the GBCSA (Green Building Council South Africa) and the industry are currently working on is, as designers, how are we steering our new build projects to reach South Africa's Net Zero Carbon 2030 goals? A hard-hitting question, but one which demands action, this approach can make an effective push towards some kind of change. Globally, and locally, the 2030 Net Zero Carbon target is that ‘by 2030, all new buildings, infrastructure and renovations will have at least 40% less embodied carbon with significant upfront carbon reduction.’

As part of its update of the Green Star South Africa New Build Tool (V2), the GBCSA found that to make this an achievable and measurable industry goal, a user-friendly tool that can guide the industry would be necessary to drive market transformation. The resulting idea was to create a calculator to help each team do just that by making it simple to evaluate their progress against this target for buildings (and be conscious of improving it).

From specifying renewable, local construction materials (such as sustainably sourced local mass timber), to adapting design to reuse parts of existing structures, there is no room left to disregard sustainable design interventions. Because of the large impact and the longevity of these emissions, it becomes crucial to minimise future embodied carbon before a building can be meaningfully green.

Calculating Upfront Embodied Carbon

Naturally, green building rating tools must also be responsive to the context within which they are applied and must change both with time and with adjustments to the overall construction environment. The Upfront Embodied Carbon calculator will be used to support the Upfront Carbon Emissions Credit, within the Positive Category, which is focussed on recognising and rewarding climate positive buildings that actively work towards climate change mitigation. Going forward, this process of change will be implemented across the industry – eligibility for a Green Star rating will be determined by an upfront carbon assessment, which must be incorporated into the design process, and options for decarbonisation need to be considered, ensuring a thorough follow-through.

With the promise of being transformative for the industry, this approach is dedicated to providing a userfriendly introduction to inform design decisions that will impact the buildings’ carbon trajectory. With a vision to do it right the first time, as opposed to backtracking in hindsight, pro-action over reaction is set to lead the way forward in achieving a Net Zero Carbon status.

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