Is a total zero construction industry possible?

In a recent article we looked at the move to net zero and what decarbonisation means for estate managers, especially in the public sector.

Taking that issue a step further, this article considers the challenges of moving from net zero to total zero and explores what’s needed to push the envelope and achieve more. 

What is net zero?

Net zero allows you to balance the carbon footprint of your estate with a mix of carbon reduction activities and carbon offsetting schemes. 

However, carbon offsetting cannot, in itself, achieve the drastic change in carbon emissions that is needed to tackle the climate change emergency. This is because some of these measures will not be effective for many years to come – for example, schemes like tree planting where the new trees will take decades to mature. 

Total zero

In contrast, total zero means the complete elimination of carbon from all sources. 

Considering the embodied carbon in existing buildings, in addition to the carbon footprint of the construction process of new buildings, achieving total zero is a far bigger issue.

Dare we pose the question, is it even achievable?

Carbon in construction 

Embodied carbon in the built environment is the carbon footprint of the construction of a building, as opposed to the carbon emissions from the building when it is in use. This takes into account the carbon footprint of the production of all materials that make up the fabric of a building. With this in mind, it soon becomes clear that, although building services are a crucial factor in reducing the operational carbon footprint of a building, embodied carbon is a far more insidious issue. 

Keep in mind that embodied carbon also refers to maintaining the building during its life-cycle and the impact of removing it at the end of its life-cycle. 

Achieving total zero in construction 

Total zero for the construction industry is, realistically, a long way off. A white paper written by Passivhaus in 2019 noted that the UK’s 2030 and 2050 climate change targets were unlikely to be achieved without significant and radical change.

In fact, it’s likely that total zero will require an element of carbon offsetting in the future to mitigate remaining carbon emissions.

Reducing embodied carbon in buildings

Reducing embodied carbon in new buildings, or additions to existing ones, needs to be tackled from a variety of angles. 

The building materials used

Reducing embodied carbon will rely on the removal of concrete from construction and a move to sustainably produced materials that do not have a lasting impact even after being removed from use. 

Modern methods of construction

Modern methods of construction, for example modular construction, offers great opportunities to reduce embodied carbon. The materials involved in these buildings are, usually, sustainable and many of the modular construction manufacturers are already taking strides to improve the impact of their manufacturing process. 

Building services design

Although building services has a smaller role to play in reducing embodied carbon, there are important considerations. Heating and cooling of a building usually demands the most energy consumption in a building. Energy consumption impacts carbon levels due to the methods in which energy is sourced. Therefore, building design that uses energy efficient heating and cooling systems will impact on the embodied and operational carbon of the building.

Similarly, ventilation, lighting and even the water systems, can all be designed to reduce both embodied and operational carbon. 

Repurposing older buildings

Another opportunity for reducing the impact of embodied carbon, is to employ adaptive reuse of older buildings thus reducing the need for demolition and disposal in order to build new. 

Repurposing old buildings with the installation of new, sustainable fit-outs and building services extends the building’s life cycle and is a faster solution than constructing a new building. This is something the Demiurgic team is often asked to look at.

One such example being looked at in early 2021 is the potential repurposing of a large retail unit on a business park to create a new NHS ‘111’ call centre. Locations like these offer substantial parking making them attractive propositions for organisations currently located in already congested towns and cities where parking is at a premium – both in terms of cost and capacity.

You can look around any city and see examples of adaptive reuse of buildings, usually to great effect. As the UK’s approach to workspaces and flexible working continues to evolve post-pandemic, it is likely we will see increased examples of this happening as unused commercial buildings are repurposed, for example, to address the housing crisis, provide flexible working spaces or accommodate new, smaller businesses where once a single business occupied the space. 

Similarly we can expect to see the trend for adaptive reuse of buildings extend to encompass our high streets as local authorities seek to attract new occupants in the face of a radically changing retail industry. 

How Demiurgic Consulting Engineers can help 

Designing sustainable building services solutions that will deliver now and into the future is at the heart of what we do. 

Drawing on our experience of implementing energy efficient, green solutions for building services in public sector buildings across health, education and other public sector estates, we ensure that our designs offer maximum carbon benefits whilst being reliable and cost efficient to run. 

If you need help to develop decarbonisation plans for your estates, or are planning your own adaptive reuse project contact the Demiurgic Consulting Engineers team by email or call the number below.