**LOW CARBONDECISIONS**
A responsibility we take seriously
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.
The challenge is heightened in Life Science buildings which have the complexity and need for research activities going on in them.
Lower carbon design and operation of buildings has become an ever more important criteria for investors, whose shareholders have stringent requirements around ESG (Economic, Social, Governance). Add to that, educated tenants, who want to work in sustainable environments, and the decision to ‘go green’ is vital. At Unity Campus, the team have embarked upon a carbon journey to deliver sustainable methods and designs across the campus.
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Sustainable labs are infinitely possible - Morgan Sindall Construction delivered the UK's first carbon neutral and Passivhaus laboratory in Nottingham. 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 CDP-A rating from the Carbon Disclosure Project.
Unity Campus Phase 2 is made up of three flexible lab-enabled office buildings, of similar size and construction.
Whilst these buildings were originally commissioned without specific embodied or operational carbon targets, early engagement during the PCSA stage, enabled us to baseline the scheme in terms of its carbon performance ‘as-designed.’
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
CarboniCa’s simplicity allows for live updates to be entered for quantities and the outcomes to be immediately available to design team and clients to inform their decision making.
CarboniCa’s output report for Building A1 is clear and easily understandable.
Since we began our journey at RIBA Stage 2, we have been able record and track the following carbon savings and, with this knowledge it allows us to challenge future projects and options being proposed by design teams to maximise low carbon design from the beginning of our involvement.
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We are currently reviewing the TM54 predicted operational energy prediction for Unity Campus to be ready to update with tenant inputs.
Examples of carbon savings on this scheme:
Every step of the process we have been able to give the Howard Group choices on low carbon options. Getting involved early has been fundamental in unlocking CarboniCa to help model the carbon impact of design development.
