Paving the Way to Sustainable Building Practices

Carbon-neutral construction is a transformative approach aimed at significantly reducing the environmental impact of the construction industry by addressing carbon emissions and resource efficiency throughout a building’s lifecycle. This comprehensive strategy, known as the lifecycle approach, considers every phase of a building’s existence—from design and construction to operation and demolition.

GALLERY  

According to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), the construction industry accounts for 38% of all energy-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions annually, equating to around 14 gigatons. Alarmingly, less than 1% of building projects currently calculate and report their full carbon footprint. To bridge this gap, Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) has emerged as a crucial tool in achieving carbon neutrality in construction. LCA evaluates a building’s environmental impact from raw material extraction to demolition, measuring resource use, energy consumption, and emissions at each stage. This data informs sustainable decision-making, enabling construction projects to significantly reduce their carbon footprint and move towards true carbon neutrality.

The key phases of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) typically include:
• Goal and scope definition
• Inventory analysis
• Impact assessment
• Interpretation (analysing the results of the inventory analysis and impact assessment)
• Improvement analysis

Leon Ward, Regional Lead for Australia + New Zealand at PlanRadar, comments, “By focusing on the entire lifespan, construction projects can implement strategies to minimise environmental impact, such as selecting low-carbon materials, employing energy-efficient systems, enhancing operational practices, and planning for deconstruction and material reuse.”

Research from McKinsey & Company indicates that decarbonising the built environment can create $800 billion to $1.9 trillion in new green value across multiple industry sectors. Incorporating LCA into construction projects offers numerous benefits, including:
• Informed decision-making
• Identification of “hotspots” or areas of significant environmental impact
• Optimisation of resource use
• Improved sustainability performance
• Compliance with regulations and environmental certification standards such as LEED, NABERS, Green Star, or BREEAM
• Enhanced stakeholder engagement

Implementing the lifecycle approach to carbon-neutral construction presents challenges, such as the complexity of assessing environmental impacts throughout a building’s lifespan and industry resistance to change. This process requires extensive data collection, analysis, and coordination among multiple parties, which can be resource-intensive and time-consuming. However, opportunities for innovation exist through leveraging technologies like Building Information Modeling (BIM), data analytics, and digital twin simulations to streamline assessments and optimise performance. Additionally, smart building technologies, IoT sensors, automation, and circular economy principles can enhance energy efficiency and promote resource reuse and recycling, reducing waste and carbon emissions in construction.

Throughout the span of a building’s lifecycle, from design to construction to end of life, there are numerous ways to reduce environmental impact for long-term sustainability. Embracing the lifecycle approach to carbon-neutral construction is essential for reducing the construction industry’s environmental impact, optimising resource use, and enhancing sustainability. By addressing every phase, construction projects can achieve carbon neutrality, leading to long-term cost savings and resilience.

Leon Ward adds, “By investing in research, sharing best practices, and backing initiatives that support sustainability, we can speed up the shift towards carbon-neutral construction and create a built environment that meets the needs of current and future generations.”

Images via PlanRadar

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