{"id":758515,"date":"2024-10-02T12:50:03","date_gmt":"2024-10-02T11:50:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/?p=758515"},"modified":"2024-10-03T08:40:49","modified_gmt":"2024-10-03T07:40:49","slug":"greenwashers-beware-net-zero-carbon-buildings-have-been-defined","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/news\/opinion\/greenwashers-beware-net-zero-carbon-buildings-have-been-defined","title":{"rendered":"Greenwashers beware: net zero carbon buildings have been defined"},"content":{"rendered":"

LinkedIn was awash last week with posts following the publication of the pilot version of the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard<\/a> (2 September). So perhaps the standard needs little introduction. But the launch of the document, a product of huge cross-industry collaboration, is a significant milestone which warrants more than a fleeting virtual mention.<\/p>\n

The coalition behind the standard \u2013 led by its Technical Steering Group with representatives from BBP, BRE, CIBSE, the Carbon Trust, IStructE, LETI, the RIBA, RICS and UKGBC \u2013 has been supported by over 350 professionals who volunteered their time and expertise over the past 24 months (for context, that\u2019s two months longer than the gestation period of an elephant). But the development journey of the standard started prior to this.<\/p>\n

The brainchild of Clara Bagenal George MBE<\/a>, the standard started as a \u2018next steps\u2019 project in defining net zero, following the collaborative inter-organisational work on Carbon Alignment <\/a>and the CIBSE-LETI Net Zero FAQs<\/a> (The standard initiative soon acquired wings of its own, garnering high-level industry backing).<\/p>\n

The UKGBC had undertaken market research in 2021, which demonstrated that the term \u2018net zero carbon\u2019 was not being applied consistently in the UK construction industry. Engagement with industry on the topic kept highlighting the market desire for a unified approach. Thus the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard was born. The standard creates a unified definition for \u2018Net Zero Carbon Aligned Buildings\u2019 in the UK, underpinned by a robust reporting methodology, based on metrics already familiar to the UK construction industry.<\/p>\n

The Professional Institutions, industry bodies and leaders in the field who have backed the standard since the early days have done so because they recognise the need for standardised criteria that will reduce spurious claims around net zero.<\/p>\n

The publication of the pilot version of the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard now provides a solid way to refute greenwashing around \u2018net zero carbon\u2019 claims. Architects, developers, contractors, clients and any associated profession will now, whether we like it or not, need to think twice about overstating purported \u2018net zero\u2019 performance of built assets.<\/p>\n

We must radically shift to evidence-based performance outcomes that deliver in real time<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The fanfare around the publication of the document marks a pivotal moment in the industry: an acknowledgement that we must radically shift to evidence-based performance outcomes that deliver in real time.<\/p>\n

The standard, which is adopted voluntarily, sets out mandatory building performance requirements at the asset level, which define ambitious performance for \u2018Net Zero Carbon Aligned\u2019 buildings. This could \u2013 should the rest of the UK building stock collectively implement compatible interventions \u2013 enable the UK real estate sector to decarbonise and stay within the built environment\u2019s share of our national carbon or energy budgets. Offsets may be used to complement, but not replace, the mandatory elements of the standard, and may be used to achieve net zero at the asset level. This approach is defined by the term \u2018Net Zero Carbon Aligned + Offsets\u2019 within the standard.<\/p>\n

The mandatory limits within the standard cover a range of topics, such as up-front carbon, operational energy use, associated fuel use and refrigerants. These limits are binary \u2013 they must be met; they are not targets that project teams hope to achieve. They must be backed up by 12 months\u2019 worth of occupied data (in the case of operational energy limits) or life cycle embodied carbon assessments that capture the actual post-completion quantities of materials used (in the case of up-front embodied carbon limits). Failure to meet the mandatory requirements within the standard will mean that conformity cannot be claimed.<\/p>\n

Whether you are working on a supposedly net zero project or not, we must face the elephant in the room (to return to my metaphor): we must grapple with the numbers and participate in reporting data in accordance with the standard. Consistency is imperative, so that as an industry we can monitor the carbon impact of our built environment and take responsibility for the emissions that are within our control. We have little time. Reaching our national 2050 net zero goal is, after all only 25 years (or less than half an elephant\u2019s life) away.<\/p>\n

Jess Hrivnak is the RIBA\u2019s technical advisor on sustainability and UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard Technical Steering Group member<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LinkedIn was awash last week with posts following the publication of the pilot version of the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard (2 September). So perhaps the standard needs little introduction. But the launch of the document, a product of huge cross-industry collaboration, is a significant milestone which warrants more than a fleeting virtual mention. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81280,"featured_media":758519,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[745],"tags":[73595,98069,1276],"yoast_head":"\nGreenwashers beware: net zero carbon buildings have been defined<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The incoming UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard will reduce spurious claims around net zero, writes Jess Hrivnak\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/news\/opinion\/greenwashers-beware-net-zero-carbon-buildings-have-been-defined\" \/>\n<meta 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