Sustainability has been a major focus in the construction industry for many years, with businesses pledging their support for the environmental agenda. However, with ambitious deadlines looming, the industry must move beyond talk to meet net zero targets, Dan Allison, divisional director, Net Zero Buildings, explains
In short, we must do more if we are to avoid the very real risk of missing the 2050 Net Zero target – there is still a huge amount of work to be done if the UK is to come even close.
Unfortunately, the challenging social, economic and political outlook – not just within the UK, but globally – will make achieving what were already very ambitious goals even more difficult.
Fears that UK ministers seek to row back climate commitments
The Climate Change Committee recently voiced fears that UK ministers may seek to row back on the legally binding commitment to achieve Net Zero Carbon by 2050 – short-termism that would simply kick the can down the road and jeopardize the country’s ability to tackle the climate crisis.
Inflationary pressures and increased costs also risk the loss of investment in new innovations, vital research and development and new modern methods of construction. The government must do more to drive a continued focus on innovation, supporting the industry to deliver green buildings.
Despite the growing urgency of the climate crisis, its presence in the media and the growing focus on ESG in attracting corporate investment and new opportunities, we are still seeing new buildings coming out of the ground that is not energy efficient and will simply require expensive refurbishment within the coming decade to meet increasingly stringent requirements.
Net Zero Carbon in operation is frequently neglected
New schemes are often built to eliminate embodied carbon during the build process, but will that building remain zero carbon for the remainder of its life? Is it Net Zero Carbon in Operation?
Unfortunately, the answer is often no – while embodied carbon tends to dominate the conversation around Net Zero, Net Zero Carbon in Operation is frequently neglected.
Whether a new school, university department, hospital wing or commercial project, it is vital that every new building being delivered today is designed and built for a Net Zero Carbon future.
Data also remains a real issue in meeting targets – without trustworthy data we will be unable to measure performance in any meaningful way. At Net Zero Buildings, that’s where we focus our energies; securing the data and evidence against which to measure the efficacy of our buildings.
The construction industry must lead the charge on sustainable design and MMC
We seek to challenge the design function of every building – building offsite makes the construction process much more straightforward, while allowing us to achieve much higher quality and technical standards.
A host of factors should be incorporated – using solid data and insights, air quality, air tightness and expected u values can be generated in the design stages, with improvements made to meet the right standards and deliver a building that is Net Zero Carbon in Operation.
Suppose the UK’s Net Zero Carbon targets are to be anything more than an ambition. In that case, every new building should be designed, built and operated to minimise operational energy as a minimum, with in-use data calculated regularly to ensure that the entire structure continues to perform effectively.
As an industry, we must lead the charge on sustainable design and MMC to ensure that every new building maximises lean, clean and green technology and is fit for a Net Zero Carbon future.
