BIO
Buildings generate nearly 40% of annual global CO2 emissions.
The UNEP 2021 Global Status Report for Buildings & Construction estimated that 36% of all annual global CO2 emissions were as a result of the property & building industry. Of those total emissions, building operations are responsible for 28% annually, while building materials and construction (typically referred to as embodied carbon) are responsible for an additional 11% annually.
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Efforts to decarbonise the sector have been limited.
The Carbon Sectors
Sector 1
Existing Buildings
Sector 2
New Construction
Sector 3
Embodied Carbon
Approximately 2/3 of the existing Building Stock that exists today will still exist and be in use in 2040.
Without theses existing building decarbonising across the globe, these exaggerated CO2 emissions will not achieve the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C target in 2040.
Achieving zero emissions from the existing building stock will require a proactive approach to accelerate the rate of energy upgrades (increasing energy efficiency, eliminating on-site fossil fuels, and generating and/or procuring 100% renewable energy).
Total building mass is expected to double by 2060.
To accommodate the largest wave of urban growth in human history, 2.4 trillion ft2 (230 billion m2) of new floor area to the global building stock is estimated to be built in the next 40 years.
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Achieving sustainable buildings will require harnessing the latest technology where possible to maximise energy efficiency and regeneration. Where possible zero emissions from new construction will require energy efficient buildings that use no on-site fossil fuels and are 100% powered by on- and/or off-site renewable energy.
Embodied carbon of today is embodied carbon of tomorrow.
Although operational carbon emissions, can be reduced over time with building plant upgrades and the use of renewable energy, embodied carbon emissions are locked in place as a building is built.
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Achieving zero embodied emissions will require adopting the principles of:
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Reuse - renovating existing buildings, using recycled materials, and designing future deconstruction.
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Reduce - material optimization and the specification of low to zero carbon materials.
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Sequester - designing carbon sequestering buildings and the use of carbon sequestering materials.
Actions for sustainable & zero carbon buildings
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Existing building Stock
Achieving sustainability and if possible zero emissions from the existing building stock requires accelerating the rate and scale of mechanical & electrical plant & machinery upgrades by leveraging key building intervention points.
Building intervention points occur at: point-of-sale; major renovations; building systems, materials and equipment replacements; capital improvement cycles; zoning or use changes; and life-safety and resiliency upgrades (e.g. seismic, flooding, fire prevention, power disruption).
By aligning energy upgrades with market-driven intervention points the cost and disruption to building owners and users can be significantly reduced.
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To achieve decarbonization in this sector, every existing building will need to undergo energy upgrades involving a combination of: improvements in the energy efficiency of building plant & machinery, a shift to electric or district heating systems powered by carbon-free renewable energy sources, and the generation and/or procurement of carbon-free renewable energy.
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New Buildings
Achieving sustainable and/or zero emissions from new buildings will require energy efficient buildings that use no on-site fossil fuels and are 100% powered by on- and/or off-site renewable energy. Energy-efficient new construction ensures that total building energy demand is minimal, enabling carbon-free renewable energy sources to easily meet demand.
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By employing and installing the most technologically advanced plant & machinery throughout the building, sustainable technologic innovations can be utilised to provide the maximum benefit in carbon reduction in the mechanical & electrical plant employed within a building.
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ENERGY EFFICENCY
Upgrading of new & existing mechanical & electrical plant to the highest levels technologically possible at the time of installation.
ELECTRIFICATION
Upgrading of new & existing mechanical & electrical plant to operate on renewable electricity to stop the use of on & off site fossil fuels.
RENEWABLe ENERGY
Installation and enforcement of on and off site renewable power generation
