INDUSTRY NEWS 5
Government steps in to fund ACM cladding remediation
Framework formed to hit zero carbon goal by 2050
A framework has been set up by the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) to bring the UK construction and property industry to net zero carbon by 2050, in order to meet the ambitions of the Paris Climate Agreement. Offering “principles and metrics that
The Ministry of Housing is to inject £200m to speed the removal and replacement of aluminium composite cladding (ACM) from nearly 170 privately owned high-rise buildings, following delays in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire.
The Government announced that it will be funding the removal, a step which it says has been taken “after private building owners failed to take action and tried to offload costs onto leaseholders.” Building owners will have three months to access the new fund, and the Government will “look carefully at those who fail to remediate and consider what further action can be taken.”
The latest figures reportedly show that 166 private buildings are yet to start works on removing and replacing ACM cladding, along with 23 in the social sector. Housing Secretary James Brokenshire
MP commented on the announcement: “Although temporary measures are in place to ensure people living in these buildings are safe, too many owners are treating this as a permanent fix. Others are trying to pass on the costs to residents by threatening them with bills running to thousands of pounds.” He added: “While some building owners have been swift to act, I am now calling time on the delay tactics of others. If these reckless building owners won’t act, the Government will.” In its statement, the Government also noted its appreciation for the work of campaign groups Grenfell United and the UK Cladding Action Group, who it says have “campaigned prominently, outlining the challenges in getting private building owners to fund the replacement of cladding on their homes.”
can be integrated into tools, policies and practices,” the framework aims to “build consensus in the industry on the path to decarbonising buildings.” As part of this, it recommends guidance for developers, owners and occupiers targeting net zero carbon buildings, setting out key princi- ples to follow and summarising how the goal can be measured and evidenced. Two main approaches to net zero
carbon are suggested in the framework: • Construction – the embodied emissions associated with products and construc- tion should be measured, reduced and offset to achieve net zero carbon
• Operational energy – the energy used by the building in operation should be reduced, and where possible, any demand met through renewable energy. Any remaining emissions from opera- tional energy use should be offset to achieve net zero carbon.
The next decade will reportedly see the
“scope and ambition” of the framework increased to boost action, with extra conditions to be introduced including minimum energy efficiency targets and limits on the use of carbon offsetting. In the longer term, the two “scopes” for
construction and operational energy will be combined into a wider approach for net zero whole life carbon, covering all the emissions associated with the construc- tion, operation, maintenance and demolition of a building. The Net Zero Carbon Buildings Task
Group has supported this framework, bringing together over 180 experts an stakeholders from across the built environment value chain, and supported by 13 leading industry bodies. Peter Tse, business manager of task
group member BSRIA, commented: “BSRIA is proud to be involved in the development of this essential net zero carbon buildings framework definition, along with the other built environment experts and stakeholders. The framework vitally provides clear definition of net
zero carbon buildings and direction towards a zero-carbon future. Tse concluded: “This framework
challenges the construction and property industry to reassess the way buildings are designed, constructed and run, which requires a cultural change. A verified net zero carbon building for operational energy is based on in-use energy, instead of modelled energy, demonstrating a building’s performance is at net zero carbon.”
Weather is a factor in hike in registrations
In total, 37,672 new homes were registered in the UK during the first three months of 2019, a 3 per cent increase year on year. The National House Building Council (NHBC) figure’s show that the affordable and rental sector registered 10,831 new homes in the period, up 36 per cent from 2018, while the private sector was down by 6 per cent to 26,841. At a regional level, London saw a 58 per cent increase compared to the same quarter last year, up to 5,625 from 3,549 new homes, boosted by a number of large schemes being registered at the start of this year.
According to the NHBC, the overall increase, while notable due to uncertainty around Brexit, is partly due to the low levels seen in the corresponding period last year when the ‘Beast from the East’ caused disruption on sites across the country. Commenting on the figures, NHBC chief executive Steve Wood said: “We are pleased to report good numbers for the start of the year, although we do need to bear in mind the situation 12 months ago when freezing conditions caused major hold-ups in registrations as well as build-rates across the bulk of the UK. “Although Brexit uncertainties are impacting consumer confidence and causing some dampening of new-build and second-hand sale markets, housing remains an attractive asset class for inward investors, which does cause us to be more optimistic about Build to Rent.”
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