LOW CARBON
CONSTRUCTION
Sustainable descions and solutions
Globally, the built environment is responsible for 40% of carbon emissions emitted to the atmosphere.
In 2019 the UK Government passed a law to require the UK to end its contribution to global warming by 2050 by bringing all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero.
As an industry we have a responsibility to our planet and our future generations to ensure we do not irreversibly harm the environment. Morgan Sindall is on track for Net Zero 2030 (Scope 1 & 2) and overall Net Zero by 2045 in alignment with the SBTi net zero pathway. We were also re-awarded our A rating from the Carbon Disclosure Project.
The challenge though, is heightened in research buildings, which have services complexity and intense activities undertaken inside. Lower carbon design and operation of buildings has become an ever more important criteria for customers who have stringent requirements around ESG, and the early development of sustainable design choices is becoming vital.
Sustainable labs are possible - we delivered the UK's first carbon neutral and Passivhaus laboratory and we are embarking upon a carbon journey here at Molecular Sciences to reduce carbon impact.
Since the design stage, the team have been building a comprehensive carbon model of the building.
This has enabled the team to detail building performance against three key carbon metrics; practical completion, life cycle embodied carbon and whole life carbon.
By using CarboniCa, our intelligent carbon calculator tool, we were able to show real time impact on both embodied and operational carbon by careful material selections.
CarboniCa is an easy to use tool has been externally validated by Arup to the latest industry standards and can be used for any project. Aligned to the UK Green Building Council framework for net zero buildings and the aims of the Construction Playbook, it will help upskill and empower clients to make environmentally friendly decisions based on meaningful and robust data.
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Easy to use, no expertise needed
Robust with clear logic and method
Certified by numerous third parties
Customisable to your project
I’ve been really impressed with how sustainability has been managed through construction and what’s been good is the regular reports coming out of CarboniCa to back up some of those aspirations for the project. Our Net Zero Carbon targets mean we can’t go backwards with any building we build, we need to make sure every build takes us in the right direction on that improvement trajectory. So data, statistics and real time information is helpful because it brings people with us and makes sure we evidence that we are making the right investment decisions.
The “As Designed” CarboniCa models estimate the embodied carbon to practical completion is 7,300 tonnes of CO2e (excluding carbon sequestered in timber products). This is equivalent to 670 kgCO2e per m2 of Gross Internal Area (GIA).
The “As Designed” model represents the original design intent for Molecular Sciences Phase 1 including piled foundations; and Corten and glass-reinforced concrete cladding (subsequently replaced by powder coated aluminium and brick).
By getting involved early, we have been able to deliver over 350 tonnes of carbon savings in the project. The carbon numbers will be updated once the project completes.
Our low carbon concrete mix used 70% GGBS replacement in the raft slab with ash replacement and for the upper floors we also used 50% GGBS replacement - this meant 151 tonnes of carbon were saved in the raft solution alone.
The team has even worked hard to ensure minimal impact of their site operations - the cabins are completely fossil free and electricity ran. In addition to this, HVO fuel is being used to power plant and equipment on site.
Part of the sustainable design choices on the Molecular Sciences Building project included the installation of PV's on the roof, smart BMS systems, PIR lighting an an air source heat pump. Previously the University buildings used a gas fed CHP to heat their buildings, but the ASHP is more energy efficient as it is able to use electricity from the PV array and it takes less energy overall to heat. Once the project is complete, the carbon model will be fully updated to help assess its final impact.