5 minute read
How?
Everybody needs to be on board
For real change to happened we need an institutional focus on making improvements throughout the construction industry. We need small changes and big changes, from those making large new development plans through to those installing the carpet tiles.
Investors
Commit to relevant industry roadmaps targeting embodied carbon
Only finance new projects incl. buildings, large renovations, infrastructure and manufacturing plants, that are compliant with carbon reduction targets
Only finance new projects incl. buildings, large renovations, infrastructure and manufacturing plants that are net-zero embodied carbon
Developers
Commit to relevant industry roadmaps and require disclosure of supply chain data for structural elements
Set embodied carbon reduction targets and require mandatory disclosure of supply chain data and track construction site emissions
Construction sites to be highly resource and energy efficient and, along with site-related transport processes, powered by renewable energy
Only build projects that have a net-zero embodied carbon
Occupiers
Fully understand obligations in regards to Corporate carbon targets and how they are reflected in interiors projects
Consider operational and embodied carbon targets when considering stay v go exercises and searching for new space
Select design teams and supply chain who are able to deliver low carbon projects
Understand and plan for their obligations in running buildings to meet operational carbon targets
Designers
Commit to relevant industry roadmaps and have integrated low embodied carbon design at conceptual design stage
Publicly share life cycle assessment data
Propose best practice embodied carbon reduction targets and implement circularity principles
Propose requirements for all projects to be 100% net-zero embodied carbon
Supply Chain
Commit to relevant industry roadmaps and develop carbon reduction targets with timelines set to achieve net-zero embodied carbon by 2050
Declare the embodied carbon of the top 40% of standard product portfolio by carbon footprint via EPDs, and the entire standard product portfolios via EPDs
All forms of energy used are from renewable or low carbon sources and all process carbon emissions are mitigated
All electricity is from renewable or low carbon sources (manufacturing & transport)
Project Process
We have developed a process that will be applied to all project and runs alongside the RIBA workstages. This process pulls out our key deliverables at each stage and will be used to internally audit our projects for compliance against our pledge. We will also include a new ghost RIBA stage 8 ‘Post Use’ to ensure that important considerations, including planning for the use of products and materials post life, are allowed for in design, procurement and construction.
Deliverable: Full inventory and materials database
Deliverable: Whole Life Carbon Assessment
Client/Agent Monitoring
Contractor Handover material passports for projects
Architect/Designer Whole Life Carbon and Material Health assessment
Contractor Full inventory of materials and energy used
Contractor Regular carbon reporting
Cost Manager Net-Zero Carbon focussed contractor prelims Client Handover material passports on exit
Client Define internal carbon goals
Post Use
NEW
Han dover 6
Manuf act uri n g and Const ructi on 5 Use
7
Strategic Defi nition 0
RIBA STAGES 1
2
Preparati on and B ri ef
Concep t Des ign
4
Technical Design
3Spatial Coordination Client/Agent Understand fully requirements at site selection stage
Client Appoint design team and cost manager with Carbon targets
Architect/Designer Sustainability and carbon workshop to establish goals, scope and intent
Cost Manager Net-Zero Carbon cost assessment
Architect/Designer Material and energy inventory
Architect/Designer Supply chain engagement and buy in
Architect/Designer Full inventory of materials and energy used Architect/Designer Environmental impact assessment
Deliverable: Stage Report Deliverable: Carbon Brief
Deliverable: Stage 2 Net-Zero / Circular Design Report
Stage 2 Report
One milestone of our pledge is to provide a net-zero embodied carbon report at RIBA Stage 2 for all new projects from November 2020. Our report will include five sections that set out ways of reducing the carbon footprint of a project and will be presented to the client for discussion and agreement of a strategy for Stage 3.
1
Proposed Design
Full review and commentary of the Stage 2 design at 85% completion.
2
Quantification
Life Cycle Analysis to calculate the carbon and green house gases of the current design and benchmark against other project data.
3
Reduction
Set targets and provide commentary on design showing recommendations for reducing embodied carbon moving forward.
4
Production
Set a sensible carbon price for the project with measurable targets.
5
Conclusion
Summary of recommendations for the professional team and next steps.
Life Cycle Assessment Example
To assess the carbon impact of a project a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) is conducted using Greenhouse Gas (GHG) as its impact basis. This quantifies the carbon impact of all the materials that form the design from its extraction, manufacturing, transportation, assembly in a building, maintenance and eventual disposal. To conduct an LCA the material weights of all components need to the quantified and multiplied by its carbon factor- for example metals have a high carbon factor whilst sand has a low carbon factor. The impact of materials can be measured by how much of it is used as well as the type of material. A future scenario is built to show how the material is maintained, disassembled, and reused to obtain impact credits from the initial life cycle stages of an LCA. Through this analysis a baseline is set from which savings can be made at each and every stage as the project moves forward from Stage 2. These savings are made through designing with lower impact materials, that last longer and are readily dismantled and recycled at the end of their useful life.
It should be noted that even efficient processes have a carbon expenditure whether it is machinery required for disassembly or the repair and reconditioning of components, although a minimization of GHG impact can be obtained this can never be without any impact. A move to the UK grid becoming decarbonized will help this in the future. All our project LCA’s will be stored on a database to allow for more powerful data understanding, analytics and learnings.
40k sqft Central London fit out from Cat A
