Lucy Marsland – Negotiations of Preference: Structure, Construction, Architecture ▶

Advocating, Quantifying & Implementing Net Zero  

“It is necessary to recognize the spatial expression of carbon energy – carbon form – as a site of intervention” Elisa Iturbe, (2019), Log 47  

According to Architecture 2030, the building industry’s impact on the environment accounts for 40-50% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Further, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) requires that emissions half in the next 15 years to stabilise global warming.  

Whole of life carbon is a key architectural driver of built form. While energy consumption and operational carbon emissions are well understood – using strong passive design and efficient active systems, embodied carbon presents a new challenge for the design community. To achieve the required emissions savings and target net zero, we must advocate, quantify, and implement embodied carbon optimization on every project.  

We will review the state of play for net zero design in Australia, highlight best practice design in operational carbon optimization and lay out the foundations of life cycle analysis, to quantify embodied carbon. Focusing in on the role of architects, we will explore hotspots for intervention, the key opportunities and challenges and celebrate the innovations and co-benefits of design driven by a net zero target.