The future of UK construction, Built Environment Matters podcast with Keith Waller, Program Director, The Construction Innovation Hub

As we optimise the geometry and layout of the structure, plant and systems we can have a positive effect on the amount of embodied carbon in the building, structure and systems.. Our more sustainable approach to close coupling and integration increases efficiency in cooling and distribution losses and also lessens the carbon intensive materials used in these systems.. Our industrialisation and digital design approach allows us to quantify this carbon content during design, and minimise the content through optimisation and materials selection.

The internal finishes and walls performed well due to the limited quantity of materials used.The false ceilings were omitted to reduce materials needed, the curtain walling is self finishing to the inside of the external walls, the building is largely open plan reducing the number of internal walls required and finally the raised flooring is reused from an existing building.

The materials specified for the internal wall include recycled materials, reducing their embodied carbon..Finally, the DfMA approach has optimised the MEP systems, using modular prefabricated units, which reduce the amount of material used.When comparing our results with LETI benchmarks (see below), this is not apparent.

It is becoming clear across the industry that LETI benchmarks for MEP are likely underestimated..Embodied carbon analysis.

When reviewing the building against benchmarks for WLC, including the LETI extrapolated targets, the buildings perform well against 2020 targets.

Again, the buildings hit the current GLA benchmark, albeit the façade performance is higher than the GLA expects.This remains a collaborative process.

What we are doing at this stage is offering a range of best possible options, to allow the client to decide for themselves the approach they want to follow.This decision is rightly theirs – based as it may be on future flexibility, their assessment of market direction or, not unusually, on commercial considerations that they may not want to share with us.

But it is important that we can demonstrate that the analysis leading to this point is robust and that we have properly considered every angle.This is also a benefit when there are any late entrants to the discussion, to assure them that the analysis and enquiry have been thorough and rigorous.. Case study: an extensive pharmaceutical manufacturing site.