Articles:

And whatever else it is today, we know that it may need to be something very different – although we don’t know what – in just a few months’ time..

Comparison embodied carbon targets from RIBA, LETI and GLA.Achieving net zero operational and embodied carbon with lean design and modern methods of construction.

Bryden Wood’s strategy to achieve net zero carbon building is based on the adoption of a clear hierarchy for operational and embodied carbon..In order to substantially reduce operational carbon, our designs will adopt the following hierarchy:.Be Lean (passive): minimise the use of energy via passive design measures such as optimised form, orientation and window-to-wall ratio (WWR); design energy efficient facades that incorporate thermal insulation, high airtightness, external shading and solar control glazing; use of natural ventilation and thermal mass and design transitional spaces and low thermal expectation spaces.. Be Lean (active): minimise the use of energy via energy efficient lighting (LED, daylight and presence control sensors) and ventilation systems (demand control ventilation, low SFPs, heat recovery); use technologies such as waste-water heat recovery and specify energy efficient lifts and appliances/equipment.. Be Clean: connect to district heating networks that have plans for decarbonisation; explore plans and feasibility of local hydrogen district networks.. Be Green: use onsite low and zero carbon technologies such as air source heat pumps (ASHP), ground source heat pumps (GSHP), photovoltaic panels, solar collectors for domestic hot water and wind generation among others.. Be Smart: implement innovative technologies such as electric batteries, heat storage, post-occupancy evaluation and develop smart-metering systems..

Offset: any remaining carbon should be offset via Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) or recognised carbon offset schemes.Offsets used should be publicly disclosed.. An example of specific design strategies that Bryden Wood have adopted follow the proposed operational carbon hierarchy is shown in Figure 5 and is demonstrated with examples below..

Step-by-step hierarchy for net zero operational carbon.

In order to substantially reduce embodied carbon, our designs will adopt the following hierarchy:.‘There’s nice space everywhere.’.

The facility generously houses five theatres, thirty inpatient and twenty day case beds, fifteen consulting rooms and an extensive rehabilitation department.Describing the process of layout design for the hospital, Wood notes that the more Bryden Wood understood about the hospital and its patients, the more they were able to ‘codify their operations, their adjacencies and their spaces…’ He discusses the fact that Bryden Wood were able to benefit from a considerable amount of consultation and direct input from the professionals who were actually going to be using the facility.

All of that knowledge was then enshrined into a three dimensional design tool, he says, which became like a ‘vocabulary of spaces…’.Wood also describes how such a level of understanding about the function of the building, led logically to the next step of applying a level of systemization to its construction, in order to underpin it and make construction more efficient.