Archinect - News

New standard for verifying UK buildings as net-zero carbon on the horizon

2022-06-01T17:02:00-04:00

A cross-industry coalition, representing stakeholders across the built environment, has come together to develop a standard for verifying buildings in the UK as net-zero carbon.

Called the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard, it provides a single, agreed methodology for proving built assets are net-zero carbon and in line with the UK’s climate targets. The leading industry organizations behind this initiative include BBP, BRE, the Carbon Trust, CIBSE, IStructE, LETI, RIBA, RICS, and UKGBC.

The metrics used to evaluate net-zero carbon performance will include energy use, upfront embodied carbon, and lifecycle embodied carbon, along with space heating/cooling demand and peak load. The Standard will cover both new and existing buildings with performance targets that align with Britain’s 2035 emissions target to reduce by 78% and its 2050 net-zero target. It will also cover the procurement of renewable energy and the treatment of residual emissions, including carbon offsetting. The ...

Fallingwater gets an offsetting new upgrade

2022-05-27T16:22:00-04:00

Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic 87-year-old Fallingwater historic site is getting a very necessary modern upgrade according to a press release issued last month by Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, the organization responsible for its stewardship.

In order to supplement sustainability goals tied to the home’s current preservation needs, Fallingwater and the surrounding Bear Run Nature Reserve will now offset a full 100% of the structure’s energy use via a network of 540 individual 5 x 3-foot bifacial solar panels said to produce 254,880 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity a year. The Conservancy says their installation will offset the overall usage of the broader site by 25% annually.

Image courtesy Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC).

“In designing Fallingwater, Wright sought to create a harmonious relationship between architecture and nature. He was inspired by the natural features of the woodland landscape for the house’s colors, materials and design motifs, and oriented the buildi...

Is carbon offsetting a misleading tool of the building industry?

2022-05-16T15:16:00-04:00

Six months after the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, columnist Kunle Barker wrote in the UK Architects' Journal to take a stand against the industry’s oneiric focus on “lofty ideals of zero-carbon and on soundbites” and towards a more considered system of new project evaluation, advocating for the “need to develop a viability methodology that is independent, objective and focused on carbon impact versus social need.”

“Let’s rid ourselves of these conceited phrases and instead focus on the real issues,” he wrote, arguing that need will always push architects into costly demolition efforts and away from restoring structures that may, in many cases, be better suited for adaptive reuse. “Offsetting is not sustainable. In fact, it's not even close to being sustainable, and most worrying of all, it is allowing lazy, ego-driven designs to be accepted by us all. We must find an objective and fair way to assess if (and how) a building should be constructed. This is the only way the built en...