How do we look at all these things together to find the best business, aesthetic and environmental solutions?.
Based on UKGBC’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings “A framework definition", a typical Cat A office’s building embodied carbon, after the first year of use, would be 75% of the total carbon, whilst the operational carbon would be around 25%.Although the operational carbon will accumulate overtime, a decarbonised grid will mean that the growth rate will flatten, and after 60 years the embodied carbon will still remain higher than operational carbon, as shown in Figure 2.
This means that the focus and the priority should shift from operational to embodied carbon during the design..Embodied and operational carbon increase in a decarbonised grid scenario.In this context, the request for Whole Life Carbon Assessment (WLCA) has increased notably over the last few years.
The production of WLCA is required by BREEAM and the GLA.In a BREEAM NC 2018 assessment, it is possible to achieve up to 7 credits by doing a WLCA, so for developments that aspire to Excellent or Outstanding ratings the analysis of embodied carbon has become very important.
The GLA requires the preparation of a WLCA pre-planning and at post-construction and requires the analysis of the results both with the current carbon factors and a decarbonised scenario.. Additionally, bodies such as the London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI), RIBA, GLA and UKGBC, have developed guidance documents on embodied carbon, which include specific targets and roadmaps to zero carbon prior 2050.
Whilst these four bodies have been essential in pushing the agenda for low carbon, there has been some confusion across the industry due to the misalignment of targets and WLCA scopes between them as demonstrated in Figure 3.And as you might expect from a leader in tech-led design and construction, the workflows are 100% digital.
That’s why we particularly value young people who have grown up with technology, and games such as Minecraft.Their 3D, “virtual” thinking gives them a head start in the computer modelling that our engineers use.
From defining problems and generating creative solutions, then testing and refining those solutions, through to the efficient execution of final assets, the process is digital and forward looking.The question for us is not “how is this done traditionally?”, but “what is the best possible way to do this?” For young digital thinkers, as for all of our engineers, that commitment to innovation, is a compelling reason to work here, rather than the technology sector.. How to get into engineering at Bryden Wood.