Opinion
Sustainability in construction: the role of data-driven decisions
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ata now seeps into so many elements of our lives – from the dashboards in our cars which show engine performance and alert us to any problems, to washing machines which manage water and detergent levels. Even our fridges are capable of reducing food waste through the scanning of bar codes and sell by dates. What do all of these elements have in common? They’re examples of where data and technology are improving safety, efficiency and sustainability. Where a major problem is identified, a technological solution that harnesses data has been developed. But is this way of thinking being applied to construction?
Understanding the issues The construction industry accounts for over 40% of all carbon emissions, of which a quarter is due to ongoing construction activity. The energy performance of our buildings is also 30% lower than the performance we expect, and the initiatives to improve our energy performance on both new and refurbishment activities have been mismanaged, ending in disaster and unspent funding. It’s clear that construction needs to do more to overcome these issues but that for that to happen, it needs to find more sophisticated ways to manage data.
Data and the three ‘c’s What’s clear is that the industry needs easy access to data to be able to make improved decision making on the three key elements of product selection – compliance, cost and carbon. On compliance, the products and systems must fulfil the function they are designed to achieve. Currently, where a number of products achieve this compliance, the next step is to choose the lowest cost and there is plenty of data to help in this area. What www.AECmag.com
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As industries look to lower their environmental impact, the role of data has become a missioncritical element to improving efficiency. But what role can data play in lowering emissions within construction? Richard Waterhouse at NBS explains why increasing product data framework and establishing hard sustainability targets will be key to achieving Net Zero.
we need now is accurate data on ‘embodied carbon’ – to understand the carbon footprint that was used to produce the product to begin with.
Standardising performance data
Joining the dots When it comes to building safety, the new Office of Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) will regulate construction products that have a safety impact, using data sheets and unique product IDs. The new Buildings Regulator will review building safety files to ensure compliance with the regulations and provide evidence of the digital ‘golden thread of information’. We should be able to use both to require provision of the environmental data (through the OPSS) and ensure its use through the golden thread, using building regulations to extend from ‘operating carbon’ to ‘embodied carbon’.
The recent announcement, by a consortium of construction institutes, covering the development of a standardised embodied carbon database is a more than welcome step forward for the industry. This will provide standardised data on performance of product types and classes and create a foundation on which products and their substitutes can be assessed and improvements made. The next step will be to ensure that product manufacturers replicate this with There needs to actual performance of their be a regulation products using environmenon sustainable tal product declarations products – (EPDs). Let’s extend this to include carbon labelling for placing data at simple product comparison. its core to test
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System overhaul
Yet if we are to see a true transformation towards sustainable construction, we need more. More data on behalf of product manufacturers with a guarantee whether we The need for hard targets that information is accurate are changing and up to date. More What’s interesting is that construction still appears to be and improving advanced frameworks for missing the bigger picture. In and architects to and whether specifiers a world where we can ban the access the data they need. internal combustion engine, an appropriate But most importantly, we why are we so loose with tarframework is need a transformative targets for the built environget. It will take significant emerging ment? Why are we so unwillaction akin to the banning ing to force a change in a secof the combustion engine tor that is the largest emitter combined with a labelling of CO2? Self-regulation and ‘market system for product comparisons (similar dynamics’ have not helped. to that seen with white goods) as well as There needs to be a regulation on sus- a clear direction on eliminating containable products – placing data at its struction waste before the sector can core to test whether we are changing and seriously think about achieving its improving and whether an appropriate ambition of a Net Zero future. framework is emerging. ■ thenbs.com
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November / December 2021
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29/11/2021 09:27
