How Concrete Is Evolving for a Net-Zero Built Environment

REMIXED How concrete is evolving for a net-zero built environment WHOLE-LIFE THINKING: HOW TO BALANCE THE RISE OF REUSE UNLEASHES EMBODIED AND OPERATIONAL CARBON A WAVE OF BRILLIANT BUILDINGS 2 CONCRETE FUTURES CONTENTS WELCOME Now and forever ��3 Designers understandably With their inherent durability, thermal efficiency have questions for the and adaptability, concrete buildings will have a concrete industry about vital role to play in a future circular economy what it is doing to minimise or eliminate its A life less ordinary . 10 contribution to climate How architects and engineers are bringing change. We welcome existing concrete structures back into use – these questions: since often with a completely new identity 2008 we have been Welcome home �� 16 publishing detailed information about our Innovative systems are allowing concrete to give sustainability targets, back to nature – as a host to plants and a home to on materials, carbon, insects and animals waste, biodiversity, water No offsets required . 20 and wellbeing, and our The concrete and cement industry is working progress towards them. The 12th annual performance report towards a carbon-negative built environment, on the Concrete Industry Sustainable Construction Strategy, without offsetting. Here’s how based on data up to 2018, shows that the embodied carbon of a standardised mix of concrete is 30% lower than in 1990. With most of our 2020 targets met, the industry is preparing to publish a new strategy to take us further towards net-zero carbon, without relying on offsetting. There’s much that we can and are doing in terms of fuel switching, investing in technologies such as carbon capture, use and storage, and developing low-carbon cements (see page 20). There is also much that can be done to reduce carbon in the way our products are used – for example, by project teams The Concrete Centre provides design guidance, seminars, courses, specifying low-carbon concrete and designing material- online resources and industry research to the design community. Our aim is to enable all those involved in the design, use and performance efficient structures that can be delivered. One problem is that of concrete to realise the potential of the material. sustainable choices are often stripped out before projects get to site. Contractors are driven by economics – understandably, The Concrete Centre is supported by industry to inform, educate given the number of firms that fail – so clients and investors and inspire. Our members are Aggregate Industries, Allen Newport, Breedon Aggregates, Brett Group, Britannia Aggregates, British Precast, must make sure that sustainability is economically viable for Cemex Materials, Deme Building, FM Conway, Gallagher Aggregates, every link in the chain. GRS Roadstone, Grundon Waste M’ment, Hanson Aggregates, The Concrete Centre was established to be the bridge Harleyford Aggregates, HH and HE Drew, Hills Minerals, Ingrebourne between materials suppliers and the designers and Valley Aggregates, J & J Franks, J Clubb, Marshalls Group, Moorhouse contractors who rely on their products. We want to facilitate Sand & Gravel Pits, Moreton C Cullimore, Morris & Perry, Myers Group, Quattro UK, Rotherham Sand & Gravel, Sea Aggregates, Smith & Sons, the conversations and collaborations that are essential to Springfield Farm, Tarmac, Tudor Griffiths, Volker Dredging. reaching a net-zero carbon built environment. We can’t do it alone – but I’m confident that we can do it together. The Concrete Centre is part of the Mineral Products Association, Claire Ackerman, director, The Concrete Centre the trade association for the aggregates, asphalt, cement, concrete, dimension stone, lime, mortar and silica sand industries. concretecentre.com @concretecentre THE INDUSTRY IS PREPARING TO Edited and produced by Wordmule wordmule.co.uk PUBLISH A NEW STRATEGY TO TAKE Design by Nick Watts Design nickwattsdesign.co.uk US FURTHER TOWARDS NET-ZERO, Cover: Bioreceptive facade panel at The Bartlett School of Architecture, by Richard Beckett, Marcos Cruz and Javier Ruiz. Photo: Sarah Lever WITHOUT RELYING ON OFFSETTING WHOLE-LIFE CARBON 3 NOW AND FOREVER The need to cut carbon is urgent, but we can’t lose sight of the net-zero future. Tom De Saulles explains why circular thinking is vital w 4 CONCRETE FUTURES he UN declaration Views may have polarised carbon in mind, both at the outset made last year that somewhat between whole-life and in their ability to ensure IN A CIRCULAR only 11 years remain and upfront carbon reductions, the building remains energy ECONOMY, THE to limit catastrophic but a more pragmatic way forward efficient and in use for as long climate T change is a warning that combines both approaches as as possible, allowing maximum DESIGN STAGE IS seems to have resonated more far as practicable. This is perhaps value to be extracted before they THE ENTRY POINT than any other with the design best summarised in the World are repaired, repurposed and TO A CONTINUOUS community. Organisations Green Building Council’s definition ultimately recycled. CYCLE OF MORE such as the RIBA and RICS have of net-zero carbon, published So where does that leave announced net-zero carbon in August 2019 in Bringing concrete? As a material, it has SUSTAINABLE initiatives with ambitious Embodied Carbon Upfront, which several qualities that sit well CONSTRUCTION timelines – initiatives that acknowledges the immediacy of with the principles of a circular also place a strong emphasis the UN declaration by encouraging economy, provided they are on “saving carbon now” in designs that reduce initial carbon actively used in the design and respect of the embodied impact impacts as far as possible, with the operation of buildings. These of building materials and balance offset over a building’s include its longevity and ability construction activities. This can life through operational savings to help meet multiple design seem at odds with the principles and efficiencies. needs, namely structural, aesthetic, of a whole-life approach, also This approach also broadly acoustic, fire and thermal, without widely promoted and largely aligns with the principles of a reliance on additional materials Below and previous page: The Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Disease in focusing on longer-term carbon circular economy, in which the and treatments. A further Children, London. The exposed concrete performance. So, do they design stage is the entry point characteristic of many existing frame reduces heating and cooling needs conflict? At what stage in a to a continuous cycle of more concrete buildings is the long-term Right: The coffered ceiling at Bannetts building’s life cycle should the sustainable construction. This is serviceability of the frame and Associates’ Royal College of Pathologists greatest emphasis be placed on predicated on selecting and using foundations, which often makes HQ in London minimises the weight of saving carbon? materials with their embodied reuse a viable option (see page 10). concrete while maximising thermal mass WHOLE-LIFE CARBON 5 VIEWPOINT: SIMON STURGIS “Everyone has to up their game on whole-life carbon” Everyone wants to know what they need to do about whole- life carbon and how they can do it, and I’m having a lot of conversations with architects who recognise that now is a key moment. Investors are recognising that whole life carbon is a business issue, and are asking developers and clients the difficult questions. It took us 45 years to get our act together on operational energy. We have to do rather better with whole-life. Architects have an opportunity to reverse their marginalisation in the construction process by becoming the focal point for carbon assessment. To tackle whole-life carbon, architects and designers need to do the carbon assessments on their designs – there really is no substitute. But everyone needs to be on the same page. One of the problems is that different software gives different answers, so various organisations have put out target figures, and they are all different. I’m working with Cundall on Concrete can also contain recycled clinker content in cement with guidance for whole-life carbon assessment for the GLA’s draft content and itself be recycled. low-carbon cement formulations London Plan. This will hopefully provide a way forward by being There remains the question (see page 20). Progress towards more specific about what’s required in a carbon assessment. of upfront embodied carbon net-zero carbon will continue to be There is a parallel problem to do with professional indemnity impacts, and what the cement reported in the concrete industry’s insurance. Most buildings are significantly over-designed in and concrete industries are doing annual sustainability performance structural terms since structural engineers are concerned, not today to help meet the net-zero report, first published in 2009. unreasonably, about safety. Without this over-design, it could be carbon challenge. Cutting carbon possible to make savings in embodied carbon of as much as 20%. has been, and continues to be, Using environmental product Concrete has been fingered as a material of concern, and it an ongoing activity for the UK declarations does start at a disadvantage because of the carbon-intensive concrete sector, which to date At a more technical level, digging and heating involved in making cement. If you can use has reduced its emissions by 30% carbon reductions will also be cement substitutes that helps, along with sourcing locally to against a 1990 baseline. reflected in future updates to the reduce transportation. The industry also needs to make the case Reaching the ambition of sector’s environmental product for the whole-life benefits of thermal mass, longevity and ease of net-zero production by 2050 will declarations (EPDs) for concrete maintenance, and to address its suitability to the circular economy involve incremental cuts as cement products, which now cover a – precast flooring planks and other elements have the potential to production methods are reshaped, range of generic ready-mixed be re-used, but standardised sizes would make this easier.

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