Carbon Futures: Towering ambition to build a better world

With these goals in mind, it is clear that buildings are going to have to adapt quickly in order for this vision to be achieved – but increasingly stringent building standards and energy performance requirements are enabling the sector to play its role effectively.

The requirement to achieve net zero creates a complex and ever-evolving construction environment that is becoming more and more the preserve of experts.

Indeed, it is for this reason that Glasgow and Edinburgh-based energy consultancy Carbon Futures offers a portfolio of environmentally-concious services to help guide clients through the maze.

The company was founded in 2015 with the specific aim of professionalising the provision of energy consultancy services within the built environment.

With clients ranging from architects, developers and contractors, through to registered social landlords and local authorities, they operate as an intrinsic part of building design teams, ensuring that energy performance is at the heart of the design process.

“With the drive towards net zero presenting an exciting but challenging landscape for industry, our clients find great merit in having an independent energy consultant on their team who is not directly influenced by other factors”, says Carbon Futures director, Andrew Money.

There is no doubt that carbon reduction targets are capturing public and industry attention, but there are challenges to overcome in terms of implementation.

“As things stand, there isn’t a clear legislative definition of net zero carbon,” Money explains.

“There are numerous definitions which is not particularly helpful – ideally industry would all be working to the same rules and communicating and verifying in the same way.

“At present, all we have at the moment is net zero carbon as an aspiration and a target. For the Scottish Government, that’s 2045, though local authorities and individual organisations are trying to better that – Glasgow City Council, for instance, is targeting 2030.

“To have such ambitious targets is of course a positive step forward however there must also be a clear roadmap to achieving net zero as there are so many different variables at the moment.”

Despite the uncertainty over the legislative definitions of net zero carbon, there are some clear trends emerging regarding low carbon heating, with new-build homes in Scotland to have ‘zero-emission heating’ from 2024. This is likely to result in a shift towards technology such as heat pumps, solar photovoltaic panels and energy storage.

More recently, the Scottish Government has published a key consultation on proposed changes to energy standards which include related topics such as ventilation, overheating and electric vehicle charging provision.

“In recent times, when it comes to compliance with energy standards for new buildings, the main focus has been on reducing carbon emissions which has promoted low carbon and renewable technologies as the key solution to achieving such targets,” says Money.

“Moving forward, whilst technology will continue to be vitally important, we believe more focus has to be on improving the building fabric and reducing the energy demand which is of equal importance as we push to improve energy performance of homes and buildings.

“It is encouraging to have supported a number of clients who are already keen to push well beyond the minimum standards so although the recent consultation on proposed changes to energy standards is long overdue it is welcomed progress.”

If it is all a bit of a guessing game, Carbon Futures is in a better position than most to identify and evaluate what the future landscape is likely to be.

To strengthen its involvement in the non-domestic sector, the company has enhanced its offering by promoting, David MacConnell, to the position of director. MacConnell who holds considerable experience in building physics and has been largely influential in securing involvement in a wide range of new projects, including the new £55million Ardrossan Community Campus.

“We provide building performance modelling which focuses and guides the building design on energy efficiency and the quality of the internal environment”, says MacConnell. “Accurate modelling ensures that building strategies come together to provide a building that is fit for purpose and suited to its function and occupants, whilst also reducing carbon emissions.

“When we talk about energy, it is important that we don’t lose sight of the other things that also matter. Buildings need to be healthy, welcoming and vibrant. We cannot forget about these things in the quest to achieve to net zero carbon. They’re just as important.

“We are also likely to see more buildings constructed to the Passivhaus standard, which is currently attracting a lot of interest in the UK.

“These standards are voluntary but are far higher than those stipulated in the current building standards. It relies on a fabric first approach to reducing the demand for space heating to very low levels. Passivhaus has been around since the 90s but is only now starting to gain more traction in larger scale housing and non-domestic buildings in Scotland, such as schools.

“Buildings constructed in this way can potentially use around 75 per cent less heat energy than those designed just to achieve baseline compliance.”

As a company, Carbon Futures is certified Passivhaus consultants and view the standard as a key solution to reducing energy consumption in buildings as we transition towards a net zero carbon future.

“All buildings of the future will need to focus on the efficiency of the building fabric first and foremost, thereafter utilising low carbon heating paired with on-site energy generation,” says MacConnell.

“It is also important to realise that different building typologies will require different solutions. Hospitals use lots of energy due to in-patient care and clinical processes; however, schools tend to have inconsistent heating demands and occupation profiles. Buildings may also have to fundamentally change. For example, offices tend to have high levels of external glazing, which leads to high heat loss and the requirement for comfort cooling, leading to greater carbon emissions.”

Given the complexities noted above, it is vital that buildings are adequately assessed from as early in the design process as possible as lots of design decisions have a direct influence on the energy efficiency and the overall performance of buildings.

“It is for this reason that we believe early engagement with an experienced energy consultant is vitally important if you are to achieve low energy and net zero carbon buildings. If they are brought on board too late, the building will already be designed, making retrospective compliance with key energy standards much harder to achieve,” says MacConnell.

“The very reason we exist as a company, is to ensure that good decisions are being made in relation to energy and building performance from the beginning of projects, through high levels of collaboration between all members of the design team, including those who will ultimately construct the buildings. This will be key if Scotland is to achieve its emissions targets.”

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Reducing energy demand is a strong foundation for reducing carbon emissions

SINCE 2015, Carbon Futures have been involved in some of the country’s largest and most prominent regeneration projects and continue to support their clients to push the boundaries of carbon reduction and energy performance:

WESTERN VILLAGES, GRANTON

FORMING a major part of one of Scotland’s largest regeneration projects, Western Villages is set to become the country’s largest net zero housing development.

Designed by Cooper Cromar architects, the development is situated in the west of the Granton Waterfront with views towards the Firth of Forth. Proposals for the 3.2ha site have been developed in partnership with CCG (Scotland) Ltd and City of Edinburgh Council comprising 444 flats in a mix of one, two and three bedrooms.

From the outset, the key areas of focus was to maximise fabric performance and avoid the use of fossil fuels.

This approach, together with the use of on-site renewable energy, will greatly reduce energy demand and deliver a significant reduction in utility costs.

WATER ROW, GOVAN

The £57 million masterplan for Water Row proposes a mixed-use, mixed-tenure development providing 200 new homes, with Phase 1 consisting of 92 apartments and 3,500 square metres of commercial space.

Designed by Collective Architecture for Govan Housing Association, the new homes for rent – with an additional six commercial units beneath them – will be created close to the River Clyde as part of a wider multi-million masterplan to help regenerate the community.

The project has been designed to achieve Glasgow City Council’s Gold Hybrid standard under policy SG5: Resource Management, providing a minimum 20% carbon emissions abatement using low and zero carbon generating technology.

In response to climate change, an new energy strategy will feature all-electric storage heaters, thermal stores and solar PV to achieve an average 27% carbon reduction over current building standards.

DUNBEG PHASE 3

DUNBEG Phase 3 is a £35 million development of 300 mixed tenure homes, for social rent and shared equity. Delivered by MacLeod Construction for Link Group, the project has been designed by Elder + Cannon Architects and consists of flats, cottage flats and terraced housing.

The masterplan will be delivered in two phases over the coming years.

By adopting a fabric first approach, the building design will maximise the performance of components and materials that make up the building fabric.

This will essentially result in reduced capital and operational costs, improved energy efficiency and a reduction in carbon emissions.

The company’s proposed strategy also featured the use of air source heat pumps which, together with an enhanced fabric solution, provides a future-proofed solution against upcoming government legislation.