Radu Testing

Though estimates vary, it is generally accepted that, globally, the construction sector is responsible for around 40 per cent of total carbon emissions. To address this situation, and avoid the potentially catastrophic consequences of climate change, the World Green Building proposes nothing less than total decarbonisation of the built environment by 2050.

To this end, it envisages a world in which “buildings are highly energy-efficient and grid-responsive, powered by electricity and/or renewable energy, and addressing whole life cycle carbon emissions.”

In this context, in this session of CPD Live, we consider the pathways to achieving the goal of a genuinely sustainable global construction sector. Beginning by defining the terms ‘Operational Carbon’ and ‘Embodied Carbon’, our speakers explain how these are assessed and measured, and just as importantly, how architects and designers can identify products and materials that perform well in this sense.

They explain the role that lifecycle assessments, environmental product declarations (EPDs), environmental certification, and the notion of circularity play in the move towards a more sustainable built environment.