Arup has announced the creation of a dataset which catalogs the whole life carbon emissions of buildings in its portfolio. The dataset, unveiled to coincide with COP27, has so far calculated the emissions for almost 1,000 Arup projects across 30 countries.

The data represents an effort by Arup to calculate their ‘carbon handprint,’ which quantifies the scale of emissions arising from the firm’s design portfolio. To collect and analyze the data, Arup developed a new software platform called Zero, into which over 1,100 Arup engineers and designers fed data on 954 projects.

“In taking this crucial first step, we have been driven by a determination to overcome the barriers to scaling net zero buildings,” explained Arup chairman Alan Belfield. “Comparable and open whole life carbon data is the tool that will allow actors across the global property value chain to make better decisions about building decarbonization — and to achieve significant emission reductions at scale and at pace.”

Zero’s analysis found Arup’s carbon handprint to be 350 times greater than its organizational carbon footprint. Within its projects, the firm uncovered so-called ‘carbon creep,’ whereby the predicted whole life carbon emissions of a building rose by an average of approximately 25% from concept stage to construction.

According to Arup, Zero’s database will be a useful tool for designers to compare the whole life carbon predictions of future projects against the trend of comparable buildings in its portfolio. However, the firm also used Zero’s unveiling to call for more industry data, arguing that early design decisions need to be informed by greater knowledge of how such decisions could ‘lock’ carbon emissions into the project at a later stage.

The launch of Zero is one of several announcements by architecture firms timed to coincide with COP27. Last week, SOM presented its ‘ready-to-build’ Urban Sequoia NOW design at the conference, while Norman Foster unveiled the San Marino Declaration of sustainability principles. 

Separately, the American Society of Landscape Architects and the American Institute of Architects have both sent delegates to the conference in Egypt to represent their respective disciplines.