The Construction Innovation Hub: P-DfMA & the Roadmap to 2030

These applications may place lower demands on processing and cooling and hold a lower facility price point.. Everyone in the room agreed that standing still is not an option..

In many cases, they refer to the possibility of achieving net zero carbon in operation only, which means that they do not account for the embodied carbon of the building over its lifecycle.A net zero carbon building is one that achieves both zero operational (regulated and unregulated) and zero embodied emissions.. Buildings should only be considered net zero carbon if the amount of carbon emissions associated with a building’s products/materials, construction stages, use (including operation) and deconstruction, is zero or negative.

This can be achieved via measures to reduce the use or the carbon of individual materials, the implementation of energy efficiency measures, the use of on-site renewables and finally a combination of carbon offset schemes and green Power Purchase Agreements (PPA)..It should be noted, that for most new developments nowadays it is not feasible to become net zero within the possibilities of the design (energy and material efficiency measures), so the use of carbon offset schemes and PPA is essential.. Why should we focus on sustainable construction and net zero carbon?.The UK has established ambitious targets to reduce carbon by 2050.

The UK aspires to reduce total carbon emissions by 78% by 2035, compared to 2020 levels, and become net zero carbon by 2050.These ambitions, translated to the built environment, can only be achieved via the implementation of measures to reduce operational and embodied carbon of new buildings, upgrading existing buildings, the use of ambitious policies and crucially via a decarbonised grid..

The built environment contributes to around 40% of the UK's total carbon footprint.

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%.MARTINA CARDI, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, ARCHITECTURE.

'At Bryden Wood, it’s all about the role you have in the project and not whether you are a woman or not.Overall in the office, it’s still probably more men, especially when you look at all the disciplines, but when you look at the architectural team we are completely balanced....

If you are a young woman starting out in architecture, being a woman shouldn’t stop you from pursuing your career.It’s exciting and very creative.