Martin Huber, CEO and co-founder of 3D modelling and spatial data company Amrax, explores what the buildings of 2030 will look like
According to a recent report by the World Green Building Council, every building on the planet must be net zero by 2050 if global warming is to remain under two degrees Celsius, the limit set upon in the Paris Agreement.
Yet that same study also reveals that the building sector is responsible for 30% of global emissions, roughly the same equivalent to that of China.
It also estimates that there are currently only 500 net zero commercial properties globally.
Clearly then, there is a huge task ahead if we are to decarbonise the world’s vast building stock in time to secure our net zero future.
While certainly no easy feat, the good news is that we already have many of the tools we need to solve this challenge.
The role of BIM, AI and spatial data in securing a net zero future
Take, for example, the latest advances in design and visualisation. Through Building Information Modelling (BIM) coupled with spatial data and artificial intelligence (AI), we are now able to gain greener buy-in from suppliers through a cultural shift enabled by increased collaboration; empowering stakeholders to root out waste, highlight inefficiencies and question poor design decisions through early engagement and greater visibility of information.
Shared digital representations allow teams to visualise, simulate and analyse design and construction decisions in real-time, ensuring alignment of vision and reducing costly error. Innumerable tweaks can be made to marry what would work best in theory with practical reality.
This is no small thing – it is manifestly different experiencing a design in 3D, VR or AR versus seeing it on a flat screen or piece of paper.
But it isn’t just about the building cycle. Through this digital lens, it becomes possible to revolutionise operational efficiency by enabling full view of the carbon impact of decisions, both at the initial inception stage and the point of the design.
This visibility also enables us to review how a building is performing on a range of indicators – energy consumption, maintenance and sustainability – and action we need to take to improve how we are scoping, designing, procuring, building and using our assets.
For retrofit or refurbishment schemes, this approach makes it easier for building owners to do end-of-life demolition assessments to encourage renovation, reuse and adaptive use of buildings, and whole-life embodied carbon assessments to drive design and planning decisions.
Amid a growing need for the industry to only build if necessary, this continues to prove a game-changing tool in validating the case for circular practices while building confidence among investors and stakeholders.
Accelerating visualisation and automation
And that’s just the start. As trends towards 2030 see increased focus on intelligent, flexible and sustainable construction, we’ll see an accelerated shift towards visualisation and automation in order to reduce planning and building times, while connecting green energy sources.
Eventually, the majority of buildings will be embedded with smart devices and beacons that will monitor energy consumption and a range of other factors in real-time. These advanced software solutions will cover everything from temperature, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), lighting and fire detection through to predictive maintenance, occupancy and structural health.
When combined with automation and visualisation platforms, we’ll have an incredibly powerful set of tools to create ultra-efficient and highly responsive “living buildings” that will use considerably less energy and resources to maintain.
How spatial data can accelerate design proposals
With AI, spatial data and 3D visualisation advancing hand-in-hand, the speed and precision of room and building design and ongoing maintenance are only going to accelerate. In the not-so-distant future, machine learning algorithms will be powerful enough to create design proposals with optimal efficiency.
A few years from now, most buildings will be supplied with clean, renewable energy sources. In many cases, this power will be generated onsite such as rooftop solar or wind turbines.
For some operators, there may even be a case to make a strategic investment in a microgrid, where renewable energy generation is paired with some form of energy storage device, invariably a battery, to create a decentralised, self-sufficient energy hub.
Both onsite and offsite energy sources will be connected into a smart energy system that optimises production and consumption of clean energy as part of a wider, interconnected energy ecosystem.
Importantly too, the smart network approach will enable self-generators to better manage their own energy consumption costs through improved access to their own data.
The bottom line is clear: the climate change challenge is one that requires urgent, progressive action and closer collaboration.
In enabling increasing volumes of data, advances in our ability to analyse that data, the digital transition offers the master key needed to open the door to a decarbonised future for buildings.
Martin Huber
CEO and co-founder
Amrax
