The construction industry stands at a critical point in its journey to net zero. With the built environment responsible for a significant proportion of global emissions, the need for better, faster carbon insight has never been greater.
That’s why NBS has partnered with BDP to help transform how carbon assessment is embedded into the design process, through the launch of NBS LCA, our new life-cycle carbon assessment platform.
BDP is a major global and multidisciplinary practice of architects, designers, engineers, and urbanists. Its integral role in the development of NBS LCA included collaborative workshops and the development of more than 1,300 pre-calculated generic assemblies.
In this article, the team at BDP share their experience of sustainable design and carbon reporting, and the challenges that NBS LCA addresses.
Why carbon insights matter
Designers have a unique opportunity to influence sustainability outcomes and reduce carbon emissions.
As highlighted by BDP, the built environment is responsible for 40% of global carbon emissions, placing increasing pressure on the sector to deliver more sustainable projects in line with Net Zero goals.
“As designers, we have a unique opportunity to minimise [emissions] and limit it as far as we practically can… And if we don't take the opportunity to do that, then I think we aren't really fulfilling our purpose.”
Christopher Jones, Associate Director at BDP
At NBS and Hubexo, this challenge for the built environment underpins our mission to help customers build more sustainably. NBS LCA is our first dedicated platform built around that mission.
What are the challenges?
“We have a big data problem where, on the one hand, we have not enough data: because really we need accurate material data to understand how much carbon is in something like concrete and then make an accurate calculation based on that. But then we also have a problem with too much data: in the sense that there are thousands of EPDs out there, and selecting one that is reliable and representative of a project can be very difficult.”
Tom Carr, Associate Director at BDP
However, the tools available to make assessments also present challenges, with designers often having to choose between time consuming, DIY spreadsheet calculations, or complex assessment software.
“A design team might make decisions very early without looking at embodied carbon impacts... and it's literally just because you can't do the calculation quick enough.”
Julia Yao, Sustainability Associate at BDP
Connecting design, specification and construction
Too often, sustainable design intent is lost as projects move from early concept stage to specification and construction.
“There’s often a disconnect between what designers are doing and what actually gets built on site. And it would be such a shame for us to be spending so much time and energy specifying low carbon products and for them not to be carried on. So, to be able to embed them into specifications is really key.”
Julia Yao, Sustainability Associate at BDP
We worked with the sustainability team at BDP to explore how a lifecycle carbon assessment platform could close this gap, by:
- Providing high-quality and easy-to-use carbon data
- Linking early-stage carbon assumptions with detailed product specifications
- Aligning with real-world, UK construction workflows
“Making sure that we’re designing a building with data that feeds into specifications… and ultimately gets built… is really crucial.”
Tom Carr, Associate Director at BDP
Collaborating to develop better solutions
BDP participated in collaborative workshops that directly informed the development of NBS LCA, helping to shape a tool that is tailored to UK construction professionals.
As well as sharing their practical, day-to-day knowledge of building design, BDP partnered with NBS to develop more than 1,300 pre-calculated generic assemblies, covering the most commonly used building fabric elements alongside key concrete and steel structural elements.
These assemblies within NBS LCA give designers consistent carbon benchmarks from the earliest stages of project design and save significant time and effort spent manually building up material layers or calculating individual components at the concept stage.
“Carbon assessment needs to be embedded in design from day one, not bolted on at the end. Working with NBS to develop its LCA product has been a genuine opportunity to put that principle into practice. The generic assemblies we developed draw on real project data and are designed to give designers meaningful, actionable carbon information at the concept stage. We're delighted to see them at the core of a platform that will be used across the industry.”
Julia Yao, Sustainability Associate at BDP
Find out more
To find out more about NBS LCA, and how it could transform your approach to carbon, get in touch for a free demonstration.
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