Implementing Whole Life Carbon in Buildings
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Engineering
Abstract
The project aims to bridge the gap between whole life carbon (WLC) theory and its practical implementation in assessing
life cycle carbon emissions of buildings, by developing a common WLC calculation framework, including certification, to be
used across the building industry. Currently there is goof background in WLC principles and methodology but a lack of
convergence in their interpretation within the actual calculations, bringing about significant variations in the results. These
discrepancies lead to low credibility that prevents the wide adoption of the WLC approach. The project brings together two
specialist carbon consultants, two highly respected interdisciplinary design firm, the RICS and the University of Cambridge
to devise a valid carbon calculation methodology which both complies with current international standards and is
economically viable for commercial clients. The agreed methodology will ensure consistent outputs and will boost trust in
the calculation of embodied carbon of buildings, encouraging further take up of CO2 benchmarking by clients, and opening
up the way to resource efficiency and carbon reduction. Besides tackling climate change, successful delivery of this project
will also leverage UK competitiveness in the growing sustainable buildings market and stimulate markets in low carbon
construction products and carbon consultancy services.
life cycle carbon emissions of buildings, by developing a common WLC calculation framework, including certification, to be
used across the building industry. Currently there is goof background in WLC principles and methodology but a lack of
convergence in their interpretation within the actual calculations, bringing about significant variations in the results. These
discrepancies lead to low credibility that prevents the wide adoption of the WLC approach. The project brings together two
specialist carbon consultants, two highly respected interdisciplinary design firm, the RICS and the University of Cambridge
to devise a valid carbon calculation methodology which both complies with current international standards and is
economically viable for commercial clients. The agreed methodology will ensure consistent outputs and will boost trust in
the calculation of embodied carbon of buildings, encouraging further take up of CO2 benchmarking by clients, and opening
up the way to resource efficiency and carbon reduction. Besides tackling climate change, successful delivery of this project
will also leverage UK competitiveness in the growing sustainable buildings market and stimulate markets in low carbon
construction products and carbon consultancy services.
Planned Impact
Who will benefit from this research?
From within the construction industry, the beneficiaries of the research will be specialist carbon consultants; designers and contractors; developers and clients; and UK manufacturers of low carbon construction products.
The development of a usable and clear methodology for embodied carbon calculations will also support UK policy-makers and local planning authorities.
How will they benefit from this research?
For the group of construction industry beneficiaries identified above, the research will enable increased competitiveness on a global scale, provide added value through new consultancy skills, and increase the technical job market for graduates as embodied carbon consultancy grows.
Specialist carbon consultants will see their businesses expand through greater industry recognition and confidence in their services. Designers and contractors will be enabled to demonstrate their knowledge of low whole life carbon building in order to win work in the UK and abroad, at the vanguard of an international movement for more environmentally conscious built environment. Developers and clients will be able to demonstrate quantitatively the carbon savings of their projects, for marketing, planning requirements, Corporate Social Responsibility and environmental accounting, or their Carbon
Reduction Commitments. UK manufacturers of construction materials and products will see an increased market share
through the wider application of the methodology, enabling them to demonstrate their carbon impacts and compete in an
increasingly carbon-sensitive international market.
The development of a usable and clear methodology for embodied carbon calculations will also support UK policy-makers
in decision making for coming iterations of Building Regulations, giving them confidence that embodied carbon can be
reasonably included in the increasing requirements for carbon reduction from buildings. Local Planning Authorities will
similarly be enabled to develop policies on targeted levels for embodied carbon from new development and refurbishment.
The staff working on this research project will increase their own specialist expertise in the area of embodied carbon,
increase their market visibility, ensure that their services are compatible with the European and international standards, and thus be enabled to grow their businesses.
From within the construction industry, the beneficiaries of the research will be specialist carbon consultants; designers and contractors; developers and clients; and UK manufacturers of low carbon construction products.
The development of a usable and clear methodology for embodied carbon calculations will also support UK policy-makers and local planning authorities.
How will they benefit from this research?
For the group of construction industry beneficiaries identified above, the research will enable increased competitiveness on a global scale, provide added value through new consultancy skills, and increase the technical job market for graduates as embodied carbon consultancy grows.
Specialist carbon consultants will see their businesses expand through greater industry recognition and confidence in their services. Designers and contractors will be enabled to demonstrate their knowledge of low whole life carbon building in order to win work in the UK and abroad, at the vanguard of an international movement for more environmentally conscious built environment. Developers and clients will be able to demonstrate quantitatively the carbon savings of their projects, for marketing, planning requirements, Corporate Social Responsibility and environmental accounting, or their Carbon
Reduction Commitments. UK manufacturers of construction materials and products will see an increased market share
through the wider application of the methodology, enabling them to demonstrate their carbon impacts and compete in an
increasingly carbon-sensitive international market.
The development of a usable and clear methodology for embodied carbon calculations will also support UK policy-makers
in decision making for coming iterations of Building Regulations, giving them confidence that embodied carbon can be
reasonably included in the increasing requirements for carbon reduction from buildings. Local Planning Authorities will
similarly be enabled to develop policies on targeted levels for embodied carbon from new development and refurbishment.
The staff working on this research project will increase their own specialist expertise in the area of embodied carbon,
increase their market visibility, ensure that their services are compatible with the European and international standards, and thus be enabled to grow their businesses.
Organisations
Publications
De Wolf C
(2017)
Measuring embodied carbon dioxide equivalent of buildings: A review and critique of current industry practice
in Energy and Buildings
De Wolf C
(2016)
Implementing Whole Life Carbon in Buildings
Francesco Pomponi
(2016)
Circular economy for the built environment: A research framework
in Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository
Pomponi F
(2018)
Furthering embodied carbon assessment in practice: Results of an industry-academia collaborative research project
in Energy and Buildings
Pomponi F
(2017)
A Method to Facilitate Uncertainty Analysis in LCAs of Buildings
in Energies
Pomponi F
(2017)
Circular economy for the built environment: A research framework
in Journal of Cleaner Production
Pomponi F
(2016)
Embodied carbon mitigation and reduction in the built environment - What does the evidence say?
in Journal of environmental management
| Description | The project was to develop a life cycle analysis method usable by industry practitioners at early design stage. In order to do so, three consultancies each undertook analyses of five buildings, and the academic team reviewed and compared their methods. A key finding, which was previously poorly understood by industry practitioners, was that the current industry analyses are very variable in method and in outcome. The RICS methodology was published following the agreement by the project team on the appropriate way forward for each life cycle stage and building component. However many questions remained unresolved, and the complexity will mean the proposed approach is still impossible to apply accurately at the early design stage when the greatest benefits can be gained. |
| Exploitation Route | The RICS document was the basis for a following RIBA (Royal Institution of British Architects) document (https://www.architecture.com/-/media/GatherContent/Whole-life-carbon-assessment-for-architects/Additional-Documents/11241WholeLifeCarbonGuidancev7pdf.pdf). It was also used to support changes to the new London Plan requiring embodied carbon to be assessed for certain projects reportable to the Mayor. Dr Moncaster submitted further information on these findings to an article in the Passive House Plan magazine (https://issuu.com/passivehouseplus/docs/ph_uk_issue_26_digital). One of the journal papers (De Wolf et al, 2017) has been cited over 100 times, and was used to develop the concepts for a later journal paper: AM Moncaster, F Pomponi, KE Symons, PM Guthrie (2018) Why method matters: Temporal, spatial and physical variations in LCA and their impact on choice of structural system, Energy and Buildings, 173, 389-398. This later paper is currently being used to inform the New Zealand Government methodology for embodied impacts of buildings. |
| Sectors | Construction |
| URL | https://www.rics.org/globalassets/rics-website/media/news/whole-life-carbon-assessment-for-the--built-environment-november-2017.pdf |
| Description | The project developed the first UK methodology for calculating the embodied carbon of buildings as part of a whole life carbon assessment. This was published in November 2017 as the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Professional Statement on Whole Life Carbon measurement: Implementation in Buildings. The RICS Professional Statement has been mandatory for all RICS members since May 2018. Since its publication, the RICS Professional Statement has been referenced in multiple professional institution (IStructE and RIBA) and industry (Arup, LETI, Architects Declare) guidance documents. I used my results from this project to support my written and oral evidence to the Environmental Audit Committee Inquiry on sustainability in the built environment in 2021. A large number of other submissions to the inquiry also cited the RICS guidance as the standard methodology for the UK. I also used it to support my interview and review of the POST Brief on Reducing the whole life carbon impact of buildings, also published in 2021. The outcome of the EAC Inquiry is not yet finalised. However there is a strong move, supported by the existence of the accepted methodology as developed during this research project, to make measurement of embodied carbon in buildings a mandatory part of regulation. Following my evidence to the Committee, and that of others, Duncan Brown MP tabled a ten minute bill in February 2022 calling for the measurement of embodied carbon. Within the industry-academic group we are very hopeful that this will become reality in the next year, following the example of the Scandinavian countries and others. I was also invited to share knowledge with the US Department of Energy in February 2022 to help develop their roadmap for embodied carbon in buildings. This is ongoing. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2017 |
| Sector | Construction,Environment |
| Impact Types | Economic Policy & public services |
| Description | Participation in writing RICS national guidance |
| Geographic Reach | Europe |
| Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
| Impact | The RICS Professional Statement has been mandatory for all RICS members since May 2018. It has had a very significant impact on practice across industry and is now the accepted standard method for calculating embodied carbon. It is cited as such in the subsequent guidance documents produced by other professional institutions including the RIBA (2017) Embodied and whole life carbon assessment for architects, and the IStructE (2020) How to calculate embodied carbon, and by several industry collaboratives including the London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI) and Architects Declare. It was a significant factor in a great number of written submissions to the Environmental Audit Committee Inquiry on Sustainability in the Built Environment - see https://committees.parliament.uk/work/1147/sustainability-of-the-built-environment/news/ Since its publication, the RICS Professional Statement has also been referenced in: the London Plan as a mandatory method for all planning submissions referable to the London Mayor, explicitly referred to in the London Mayors Environmental Statement of May 2018, used on HS2, used on the Heathrow Expansion, is specifically referenced in the RIBA 'Embodied and Whole Life carbon for architects', the BCO Office Design Guide out 2019, COP24 at a 'Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction' event, referred to in the carbon policy for British Land, referred to at COP26. |
| URL | https://www.rics.org/globalassets/rics-website/media/news/whole-life-carbon-assessment-for-the--buil... |
| Description | Senior Members Research Fund |
| Amount | £2,400 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Cambridge |
| Department | Newnham College |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2016 |
| End | 07/2016 |
| Description | ECEB Symposium |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | An expert Symposium on embodied carbon in buildings, for 50 invited participants from industry and academia in April 2016, run by me and my research team, as part of the dissemination/evidence gathering events for the IWLCiB project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://www-csd.eng.cam.ac.uk/news/embodied-carbon-and-energy-symposium-2016 |