海角视频

At the end of September, the pilot version of the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard (鈥渢he standard鈥�) was published.  

This project has been two years in the making, with industry leaders at UKGBC, RIBA, RICS, IStructE, LETI and more coming together to reinforce a route towards decarbonisation of the UK鈥檚 built environment. outlines targets for key metrics across building typologies 鈥� these challenge all of us to rethink how we work more effectively together to design a built environment that is within planetary limits. 

Our team of experts have reviewed this pilot version and share their thoughts as the testing period begins. 

Richard Twinn, associate director, UK ESG Advisory, 海角视频 says: 

鈥淭his is the first comprehensive attempt at turning net zero principles into a codified standard for the UK market. The standard clearly shows that providing a definitive answer for defining a net zero building is complicated; it will mean different things for different buildings at different stages of the lifecycle. The details will be all-important and, at this early stage, there is still a lot of detail left to be worked out. 

There are a range of new ideas included in the standard, particularly related to building retrofits and how targets for energy and embodied carbon should be applied. So, the first thing that we鈥檒l be doing with clients is looking seriously at how this could affect their future asset management plans.”  

The standard requires us to think differently about low carbon buildings. Rather than being a badge of honour, a net zero carbon aligned building is now simply one that meets the minimum performance requirements for the sector, to come in line with carbon budgets. 

Alistair Thomas, associate sustainability engineer, Sustainability & Physics, 海角视频 says:

“There are still questions to be answered, in consultation with our collaborators. An exercise in comparing our internal portfolio of embodied carbon assessments shows some real challenges for us to tackle with design teams, but it also shows what we鈥檙e already doing well. 

Transparency in any periodic updates to the standard will be key in order that clients have foresight of future limit changes. It鈥檚 a rapidly evolving landscape and we can already see where shifts in guidance have occurred since we started submitting data to the initiative in its earlier stages.”

Critically, the standard requires conformity from buildings once in operation. Reporting, including on embodied carbon, will be measured post-construction and so the whole value chain, including contractors, will have to work collectively to make sure everyone is skilled up.

Jake Williams, director, UK Net Zero Carbon & Building Performance, 海角视频 says: 

鈥淥ur clients and collaborators that respond as first movers and offer projects to participate in the pilot version of the standard will not only design better buildings but will gain a strategic advantage in directly shaping the future evolution of the standard. Plus, their project will be at the front of the queue for verification once the scheme becomes available.

We are looking at implications for projects in the pipeline, how we check the compatibility of projects and portfolios already in the design stages, and helping collaborators get registered in this pilot period. Some projects might qualify for the 鈥榬etrofit in one-go鈥� approach, and so have the opportunity to lock-in to a lower EUI target, others will use a stepped approach to 2050.”  

The targets for retrofit are challenging and 海角视频’s team will be in discourse with the standard development team to understand the best way for our collaborators to positively respond.

, associate director, Sustainability, 海角视频 says “Although the targets set by the standard in some sectors (for example, retrofit and Science and Technology) seem challenging or simply need clarification, now is the time for asset managers, the construction industry and the users to work together to understand, design and use buildings that are aligned with the standard.

Our team of experts are working closely with collaborators to understand what the standard means for their current and pipeline projects, and where the opportunities lie to volunteer for the pilot version. 海角视频 is also reviewing its project portfolio in order to evaluate alignment with the standard, and highlight the measures to escalate performance.”

Find out more about the UK Net Zero Carbon Building Standard pilot programme here and contact our experts via the links above if you would like to discuss what this important piece of work might mean for you and your project.