THE MAGAZINE FOR THE DRAINAGE, WATER & WASTEWATER INDUSTRIES
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during a construction project. Several key organisations, such as the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) and UK Business Council for Sustainable Development (UKBCSD), have been working on tools and information to better equip developers with the skills and knowledge to improve their sustainability efforts.
The UKGBC’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Framework Definition summarises the carbon reduction challenge for the wider industry and sets out clear, actionable steps that can be taken during the design and construction phases of a project to move towards a zero carbon building. Included in the definition is information around a number of critical measures, for example, establishing a net zero carbon scope, reducing construction impacts, reducing operational energy use, increasing
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renewable energy supply, and offsetting any remaining carbon.
Reducing embodied carbon takes time. There is a sustainability certification scheme called The Planet Mark that uses carbon lifecycle assessments to look at the whole life carbon footprint of each building. These show both the embodied carbon a building has plus its operational carbon footprint. But how should we counteract that embodied carbon? Very little has a zero footprint. Do we plant more trees and protect more rainforests by way of atonement?
There is also a low-carbon construction system for buildings called the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Framework Definition. This includes evaluating and specifying building products and processes – from concrete and steel to
exterior landscaping – to ensure that wherever possible, the carbon footprint is kept as low as possible. Combined with other energy-saving features, such as LED lighting and rainwater harvesting, the newest breed of buildings are some of the most sustainable around.
Addressing zero or low-carbon development is a significant task, in any sector. If the UK is to truly meet its ambitious targets, industry must work together as a whole to share best practice and knowledge about this area of development. Low-carbon buildings and their associated services are no longer just a ‘nice to have’; they are becoming an essential building block on the UK’s road to net zero.
Social value Mott MacDonald’s UK social value technical
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