Paris Proof buildings within the carbon budget
To prevent the world from warming up by 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius and having to face the extreme consequences of climate change, the construction industry must take responsibility for reducing the sector's CO2 emissions.
The industry's maximum emissions allowance is known as the "carbon budget". Sustainable construction can reduce both CO2 emissions from energy use and material use.
Designing buildings that meet the Paris Agreement's target values on energy and material use is challenging.
This blog, developed with the insights of Sven van Aspert, Consultant Circular Buildings, provides an in-depth look at sustainable construction within a carbon budget and highlights the innovative strategies and materials that are giving the industry a new direction.
The balance between energy savings and environmental impact in sustainable construction
The energy transition in the Netherlands is in full swing and for many clients, the realisation of energy-efficient buildings is no longer a peculiarity. However, sustainable construction goes beyond the energy performance of a building. For the materials needed to construct the building also have a significant environmental impact during extraction, production and construction. This material-specific impact is known as embodied carbon. In order to minimise the overall environmental impact of a building, it is important to strike a balance between energy savings and embodied carbon.
What are energy performance and embodied carbon?
- Energy performance refers to how efficiently a building uses energy for heating, cooling, lighting and other applications. Improving energy performance often means adding insulation, installing solar panels and using energy-efficient appliances.
- Embodied carbon includes the total amount of CO2 emitted by a building's materials throughout their life cycle.
The paradox explained
As we strive to improve the energy performance of buildings through the use of advanced materials and technologies, this can lead to an increase in embodied carbon. For example, insulating buildings with synthetic insulation materials such as EPS or PIR leads to significant CO2 during their production. The same applies to PV panels as well as cooling systems. This creates a paradox where efforts to reduce the operational energy of buildings can simultaneously increase the overall environmental impact through embodied carbon.
A broad approach to sustainable construction
To address this paradox, we need to look beyond energy efficiency. That means selecting building materials and techniques carefully, not only to minimise operational energy but also to reduce embodied carbon. Investigating sustainable materials such as wood from sustainably managed forests or using reclaimed and recycled materials can help reduce the carbon footprint of new construction projects.
It is also essential to evaluate every aspect of the construction process in terms of its contribution to both energy savings and overall environmental impact. That includes integrating renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power in a way that reduces both energy consumption and dependence on fossil fuels.
Innovative strategies for sustainable construction
In order to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, we need to look beyond conventional building methods and focus on improving both energy consumption and the use of materials. Here are a number of strategies that can help us do this:
- Compact design: By minimising the external surface area of buildings, both material use and energy loss can be reduced, leading to lower CO2 emissions.
- Low-tech construction: A shift to passive construction techniques that require fewer installations and not only reduces the use of materials but also ensures lower energy consumption.
- Balance in open/closed ratio of façades: Optimising the balance between open and closed parts of the façade can help regulate temperature and light, improving energy efficiency without significantly increasing CO2 emissions.
To design Paris-Proof buildings, the end goal must be clear for all stakeholders and the impact of each design choice checked against energyperformance and embodied carbon.
Need for integral cooperation
To realise Paris Proof buildings, integral cooperation is an important prerequisite. In many cases, choosing wood as a building material, for example, reduces embodied carbon but also creates challenges in terms of acoustics and heating in buildings. That is why the design team needs to understand the interdependencies between each discipline. Besides architects, Paris Proof design also requires specialists in construction, building physics, energy, installation technology and natural sustainability.
Within Royal HaskoningDHV, design processes are supported by technology where added value can be provided by doing so. For instance, we use parametric tools to find a balance between embodied carbon and energy performance within the strict design rules of Paris Proof construction. In the process, computer models and algorithms help our engineers understand the impact of measures on a number of variables, making it possible to optimise the design and make informed decisions. That is how we build Paris Proof real estate with our clients, with all disciplines under one roof.
Get in touch
Are you interested in realising sustainable building projects within your carbon budget? Contact us for more information on how we can work together.
Want to find out more about how we use parametric design to realise sustainable buildings? Click here to find out more.
