A new building performance designation is being introduced for the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard (UKNZCBS).
The Standard, Version 1 of which was published in March, defines what performance levels a building must achieve to be considered ‘Net Zero Carbon Aligned’.
Now, under the UKNZCBS’s new Performance Evaluation designation, buildings that do not currently meet all of the requirements can still get a ‘robust indication’ of how they are performing against the Standard’s criteria.
A verified Performance Evaluation will act as a ‘report card’, using the same metrics and measurements as the UKNZCBS to show how close a building is to being Net Zero Carbon Aligned.
By reporting on in-use performance and learning to measure and assess performance against the Standard, the evaluation is an important step towards a building’s decarbonisation, says UKNZCBS.
Simon Wyatt, partner and global head of sustainability at consultants Cundall, said: ‘The Performance Evaluation designation responds to industry concerns about the binary pass/fail approach to Net Zero Carbon Aligned status.
‘By recognising projects that are making measurable progress, even if they have not yet met all criteria, this initiative encourages broader engagement with the Standard.’
Wyatt, who sits on the environmental, social and governance committee of the British Council for Offices (BCO), added that the BCO ‘fully supports’ this approach, and encourages office developers and owners to participate in it.
Indicative representation of an example Performance Evaluation graphic- currently undergoing further development. The visual identity of Performance Evaluations is being developed to be clearly and immediately distinguishable from that of a Net Zero Carbon Aligned achievement 
