Research by Max Fordham shows that air source heat pumps with low global warming potential refrigerant risk being penalised under current calculation methods for embodied carbon. The firm’s Lia Minty discusses how upfront carbon differs according to refrigerant type and proposes a fairer methodology
Tag: Embodied carbon
Engineering a sustainable stay: how net zero impacts hotel design
With 24/7 operation, intensive energy demands and frequent refurbishments, hotels are among the toughest buildings to decarbonise. Given that the upcoming UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard has sector carbon limits, Molly Tooher-Rudd looks at the challenges of achieving net zero hotels
Evidence of progress: Building Performance Awards analysis
The future of construction is here. Julie Godefroy’s analysis of the 2025 CIBSE Building Performance Awards demonstrates that the principles of performance-based design are gaining widespread adoption
Net zero’s mission possible? testing the UK-NZCBS pilot
Max Fordham has been testing the pilot version of the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard to see if its projects would hit the carbon limits. The firm’s Henry Pelly reveals which building types are providing the most difficult challenges
Air levels: passing the embodied carbon test
A review of a hybrid and active ventilation system in a secondary school aims to highlight the embodied carbon impacts of choosing one ventilation strategy over another. Mat Naccarato, of Savills Earth, describes the method and key learnings
Embodied carbon: Amazon’s mission to measure more
As the pressure to reduce embodied carbon intensifies, Molly Tooher-Rudd finds out why Amazon was happy to share in-house knowledge and contribute to CIBSE’s TM65.3, the methodology for uncovering hidden emissions in logistics buildings