Climate Guide: Key concepts and definitions

The RIBA Climate Guide is a holistic guide for you and your practice to deliver sustainable projects and meet the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge.

Climate change is a threat to humankind, which requires immediate action.

The built environment has a vital role to play in responding to climate and biodiversity emergencies. There is a pressing need for architects and industry professionals to acquire the requisite skills and knowledge to design buildings that deliver holistic sustainable outcomes, meeting the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge and mandatory competence in climate literacy.

Equipping you with the key information that built environment professionals require to halt climate change and mitigate its impacts in your day-to-day work, this book is organised around six overarching topics. Featuring images and original illustrations, each themed section will guide you through fundamental elements and competencies for creating an integrated sustainable design and delivery framework that can be implemented by you in your practice.

Below are the key concepts and definitions to guide you through the book.

Introduction

Planetary Boundaries is a concept and a framework developed in 2009 by Johan Rockström – the former Director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre – together with a group of internationally renowned scientists, based on processes that "regulate the stability and resilience of the Earth system". These processes are presented in nine quantitative boundaries, within which "humanity can continue to develop and thrive for generations to come" (Stockholm Resilience Centre, 2022): climate change, ocean acidification, stratospheric ozone depletion, biogeochemical flows in nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) cycles, global freshwater use, land system change, the erosion of biosphere integrity, chemical pollution and atmospheric aerosol loading.

RIBA Sustainable Outcomes Guide is a document that outlines eight, measurable outcomes, which correspond to the key United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 that can be directly impacted by the built environment. Intended for built environment projects at all scales, these sustainable outcomes include net zero operational carbon, net zero embodied carbon, sustainable water cycle, sustainable connectivity and transport, sustainable land use and biodiversity, good health and wellbeing, sustainable communities and social value, and sustainable life cycle cost.

Chapter 1: Global and Built Environment Climate Fundamentals

The Anthropocene is the proposed geological epoch that defines the most recent period in Earth’s history when human activities started significantly impacting Earth’s geology and ecosystems.

Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) are four pathways that are developed as a method to enable projected climate modelling, within a set of scenarios that present the potential, future climate evolution. Adopted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as a greenhouse gas concentration trajectory, these pathways are named (RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP6.0, and RCP8.5) according to their radiative forcing values in the year 2100 (2.6, 4.5, 6 and 8.5 W/m² respectively).

Paris Agreement is a legally binding, international treaty on climate change that was adopted by 196 Parties at COP21 in Paris, France in 2015. Its goal is to limit global warming to ‘well below 2°C and preferably to 1.5°C’ compared to pre-industrial (1850–1990) levels (UNFCCC, 2022). The progress of the signatory states (known as the ‘Parties’) is reviewed every five years.

United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a plan of action for sustainable, equitable, and inclusive, global growth. It presents 17 interlinked goals known as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved by 2030.

Climate-Resilient Development Pathways (CRDPs) are development trajectories that address societal values and local priorities and integrate climate adaptation and mitigation to strengthen sustainable development.

Doughnut Economics is a framework and an economic mindset for sustainable development that combines concepts of planetary and social boundaries. Developed by economist, Kate Raworth in 2012, its doughnut-shaped, visual presentation, with two concentric rings, depicts a ‘social foundation’ (i.e. the inner ring) to ensure everyone has access to life’s essentials (healthcare, education, etc.) and an ‘ecological ceiling’ (i.e. the outer ring) to safeguard that humanity does not exceed/overshoot the planetary boundaries that life depends on.

Degrowth is a radical economic theory born in the 1970s and supported by the movement that focuses on reducing global consumption and production (i.e. shrinking the growth-centred economy), and promoting a socially just and environmentally sustainable society where social and environmental wellbeing replace Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as the key indicator of prosperity.

Greenhouse Gases (GHG) are constituents of the atmosphere, both natural and anthropogenic, that absorb and emit radiation at specific wavelengths within the spectrum of infrared radiation, which is emitted by the Earth’s surface, the atmosphere, and the clouds. They are often referred to as ‘carbon emissions’ in general usage.

*The carbon definitions included in this section of the book are definitions written by the Whole Life Carbon Network (WLCN) (in the UK) in 2022, in detailed discussions with other industry leading organisations. These definitions only address the GHGs with Global Warming Potential assigned by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (e.g. carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs, and sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆).

Great Acceleration is the period after the 1950s when a dramatic surge in human activity is observed, and where the human-induced, global, socioeconomic, and environmental change started accelerating at an unprecedented rate.

Ocean Acidification is the continuous decrease of the pH (potential of hydrogen) value in oceans due to increased uptake of carbon dioxide (by the oceans) from the atmosphere.

*Consequently, the resulting increase in acidity in oceans, compounds the effects of rising temperatures. It is sometimes referred to as ‘climate change’s evil twin’ (Pelejero et al., 2010), and its main cause has been identified as fossil fuel burning, land use change and deforestation.

Carbon Debt is the imbalance between the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by a country, group, person, etc., and the amount that is offset to counteract this.

Bioenergy is a form of renewable energy that derives from organic matter, known as ‘biomass’, which can come from harvest residues, purpose-grown crops, and organic wastes from farms, homes, and businesses.

*This energy can be used to produce fuel for transportation, heat electricity, and products.

Carbon Budget is the maximum amount of cumulative, net global carbon dioxide emissions permitted to limit global warming to a certain temperature (e.g. 1.5°C and 2°C).

*It is referred to as the ‘total carbon budget’ when it is referenced starting from the pre-industrial period. "The residual, global carbon budget to remain within 1.5°C global warming with 66% probability is given as 400 billion tonnes CO₂ from the start of 2020" (Carbon Independent, 2021). This budget is expected to run out by 2030.

Zero Tracker is an online platform, which provides an overview of all the countries, territories, and each region within the 25 greatest carbon dioxide emitting countries, as well as cities with over 500,000 inhabitants. It also presents the world’s largest, 2,000, publicly traded companies and their net zero or other targets, together with their progress on meeting those targets.

Carbon Pricing is an approach to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by using market mechanisms that pass the cost of emitting to the emitters.

*Also known as ‘cap-and-trade (CAT) System’, or ‘Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS)’, it often takes the form of a carbon tax or carbon emission trading. As of August 2022, there are more than 65 carbon pricing initiatives implemented around the globe, representing 23% of the global GHG emissions (The World Bank, 2022).

A Carbon Tax is a direct price, set by the governments, on greenhouse gas emissions (per tonne) that polluting industries and companies must pay. Intended to make ‘hidden’ social costs of carbon dioxide emissions visible, the carbon tax is pre-defined, whereas ‘carbon price’ is not.

*Twenty-seven countries, including the EU, Argentina, Canada, the People’s Republic of China, Japan, the UK, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Chile, Colombia, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa, and Ukraine have carbon tax implemented (Lai, 2021).

An ‘Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS)’ – also known as the ‘cap-and-trade (CAP) system’ – is a market-based approach, which is used to cost-effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions by controlling them through economic incentives that reduce these emissions.

*In a trading scheme, a government sets a cap for the maximum level of emissions and creates permits for each unit of emissions (allowed under the cap). Polluters must hold permits for the amount of emissions they produce. The ‘EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS)’ is one of the best ‘cap-and-trade’ system examples in the world. Importers of emission-intensive goods have to pay a charge, based on the price of carbon per tonne the EU producers would have had to pay under the EU carbon emissions regulations. As of 14 August 2022, this price is €87.55 (Ember, 2022).

A Net Negative Carbon Economy is an economy, where carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions are first significantly reduced, and where more CO₂ is removed from the atmosphere or sequestered than emitted.

Building Back Better is a concept referred to in ‘The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction’ (adopted in 2015) in which its fourth priority focuses on building back better through recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction after a disaster.

*The aim is to increase nations’ and communities’ resilience by integrating disaster risk reduction measures into the restoration of the physical infrastructure and societal systems. It is a term that was first introduced to United Nations by the former United States President, Bill Clinton at the United Nations Economic and Social Council in 2005.

Aichi Biodiversity Targets are universal goals – established by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) as part of their Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 – to protect and conserve the global biodiversity that supports global health, food security, and clean water.

*According to the United Nations’ assessment, none of the 2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets were met at the end of 2020 which has led to the development of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, to guide global actions to preserve and protect nature through 2030.

Climate Overshoot is the period of time where global temperatures temporarily exceed 1.5°C (or 2°C) before bringing them back down (i.e. ‘drawdown’) through carbon dioxide removal (CDR).

*Scientists present the temperature trajectories of this period through ‘overshoot pathways’.

Zero Code^TM is a national and international building energy standard for new commercial, institutional, and mid- to high-rise residential buildings created by Architecture 2030 in 2018. First adopted by the International Energy Conservation Code in 2021, it incorporates cost-effective energy efficiency standards with on- and/or offsite renewable energy generation to deliver zero carbon buildings. It is a core part of the overarching Zero Code Renewable Energy Procurement Framework, which provides cities and states guidance on renewable energy integration into their strategies for achieving zero carbon buildings.

Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC) Roadmaps for Buildings and Construction are a global and a regional framework, as well as a process that describe specific pathways for the world – particularly for Africa, Asia, and Latin America – to decarbonise the buildings and construction sector by 2050.

*Covering eight themes (including urban planning, new buildings, existing buildings, building operations, applicants and systems, materials, resilience, and clean energy), the roadmaps provide short-, medium- and long-term targets, against specific timelines, for achieving zero carbon, efficient and resilient built environments throughout their full life cycle.

Living Building Challenge is an international, sustainable building certification system developed by the International Living Future Institute in 2006. Applicable to developments at all scales, from buildings (existing and new) to infrastructure, neighbourhoods, and landscapes, it promotes the creation of regenerative built environments that are measured against seven performance areas: place, water, energy, health and happiness, materials, equity, and beauty.

Passivhaus Standard is an international, quality-assured whole-building energy performance standard and a certification scheme, currently run by The Passivhaus Trust (PHT).

*Applicable to residential, commercial, industrial, and public buildings, the standard’s main focus is to drastically reduce a building’s total energy demand for space heating and cooling to 15kWh/m²/year of the treated floor area, or 10W/m² peak demand – primarily by adopting a ‘fabric first approach’ which reduces heat loss to a minimum, while also providing comfortable indoor environments. As a design concept, ‘Passivhaus’ was first developed in Germany in the 1990s by Professor Wolfgang Feist and Professor Bo Adamson from Lund University, Sweden.

RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge is an initiative developed by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and launched in 2019, to help architects adopt an outcome-based design with measurable performance targets for their completed projects. Providing a stepped approach towards 2030 dates, the challenge identifies key targets to be met in new and major refurbishment projects, under operational energy, embodied carbon, potable water use, and key metrics for health and wellbeing.

LETI Climate Emergency Retrofit Guide is a document, produced by the London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI) in 2022, to provide guidance to architects, engineers, local authorities, social landlords, energy professionals, contractors, and clients for retrofitting existing UK homes to meet the UK’s net zero target. It identifies specific strategies to improve fabric performance and whole building energy efficiency of homes, to meet best practice targets by 2030.

UKGBC Social Value in New Development is a document, produced by the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) in 2018 (as part of a series of their social value-focused documents), to provide guidance to local authorities, development teams, and other, key stakeholders on social value, as a key measure for delivering high quality, sustainable developments. It outlines social value outcomes and opportunities at each project stage that must be carefully identified and implemented by the project team, based on the needs of the local area.

WorldGBC Health & Wellbeing Framework is a high-level education tool, developed by the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) in 2020 to raise awareness on how to effectively deliver healthy and equitable built environments.

*Published both as a report and an online tool, the framework is structured around six core principles, including ‘protect health, ‘prioritise comfort’, ‘harmony with nature’, ‘positive behaviour’, ‘social value’, and ‘climate action’. It is intended for all actors along the built environment value chain, from designers to occupiers, construction firms, and policymakers.

Race to Zero is a United Nations-backed, global campaign, launched in 2020 and led by the High-Level Climate Champions (who bridge between the conference of the Parties (COP) presidency and the parties (national governments) and the non-state actors, including businesses, investors, cities, civil society, and other, sub-national governments), to take immediate and rigorous actions to halve global emissions by 2030.

*It mobilises actors outside of national governments by rallying leadership and support from cities, regions, businesses, and investors for a zero carbon, resilient and healthy recovery, as well as inclusive, sustainable growth. As of August 2022, Race to Zero has more than 10,000 non-state actors from over 100 countries, committed – through partner initiatives – to halving global emissions by 2030, in order to reach net zero by 2050, at the latest.)

C40 Cities High-Impact Accelerators are statements of political leadership by mayors, developed by C40 Cities in 2022, to document C40 cities’ impactful actions to deliver on their science-based climate commitments. The 11 accelerators include ‘towards zero waste’, ‘clean air’, ‘clean construction’, ‘cities and unions call-to-action on jobs’, ‘divesting from fossil fuels, investing in a sustainable future’, ‘equity pledge’, ‘good food cities’, ‘green and healthy streets’, ‘net zero carbon buildings’, ‘renewable energy’, and ‘urban nature’.

A Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) is a non-binding, national plan, developed by each country (with a ratchet-up climate action over time, post-2020), to reduce their national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. NDCs are at the heart of the Paris Agreement and the achievement of the long-term, global climate targets.

A National Adaptation Plan (NAP) is a process – established under the Cancun Adaptation Framework (CAF) – which enables countries to develop and implement plans for their medium- and long-term adaptation needs (informed by the latest climate science), together with strategies for addressing and tracking those needs.

Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) is a term adopted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and it refers to Article 6 of the Convention (1992) and Article 12 of the Paris Agreement. ACE presents guidelines for accelerating solutions around six priority areas of education, training, public awareness, public participation, public access to information, and international cooperation (on these areas) which are identified as pivotal for everyone’s participation in addressing climate change.

Chapter 2: Sustainable Outcomes and Common Threads

Supply Chain is a set of activities associated with the transfer of products and materials from one place to another in an integrated chain. All parties involved in the supply chain work to fulfil a customer request and deliver satisfaction.

Value Chain is a set of activities associated with enhancing the value (price and service) of products and materials at each step until they reach their final destinations.

*All parties within the value chain engage in interrelated activities to create a competitive advantage.

Environmental/Green Gentrification is a process, whereby cleaning up contaminated land and/or urban greening and installing green amenities (e.g. green parks, gardens, roofs), elevate property values, displacing low-income residents.

Outcome-based Design (OBD) is a performance-oriented design approach that delivers on key performance indicators against specific time frames and with benefits that the project will bring over time.

Climate Justice is the concept of viewing climate change through the lens of human rights. It identifies how the causes and effects of climate change are unequally and unfairly distributed.

*The Climate Justice movement works to safeguard the rights of the most vulnerable people and share the burdens and benefits of climate change and its resolution equitably and fairly.

Triple Bottom Line (TBL) is a business concept and a transformation framework for organisations, coined first by author and entrepreneur, John Elkington in 1994. It enables organisations to evaluate their performance over time, against social, environmental, and economic measures – often described as ‘people, planet, profit’ – to deliver broader (business) value.

Climate-proofing is a concept that is born in Netherlands, and is commonly used for infrastructure projects for integrating climate change mitigation and adaptation measures into their development.

*It also covers the process of identifying an asset’s climate change related development risks, and reducing those risks through effective and integrated planning, design, construction, operation, and decommissioning.

Just Transition is a set of principles, processes, and practices, developed under a framework, by the trade union movement, to implement a range of social interventions to safeguard workers’ rights and livelihoods as economies shift to sustainable production.

*As an example, the European Green Deal has a funding mechanism, called the Just Transition Mechanism (JTM) which helps workers in fossil fuel industries, to transition to a greener economy.

Research-based Design is a process, proposed by Teemu Leinonen at Aalto University, focusing on exploring design concepts through continuous testing and redesigning of solutions based on built prototypes.

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a process – the concept of which was developed in the 1970s – for generating and managing a built environment project’s information. Supported by various tools, technologies, and contracts, its output is a coordinated, digital model, which represents physical and functional aspects of a built asset. It is defined in detail in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 19650 and 12006 series of standards.

Life Cycle Costing (LCC) – also referred to as ‘Whole-life’ or ‘Lifetime Costing’ – is the process of estimating costs to be incurred during the lifetime of an asset, product, work, or service over the course of its useful life.

*It accounts for costs associated with purchasing, delivery, installation, operation, maintenance, financing (e.g. interest), depreciation, decommissioning or disposal, and residual value (e.g. revenue from the sale of a product). International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 15686, Part 5 provides requirements and guidelines for undertaking LCC analyses in constructed assets and their parts, both existing and new.

Climate Framework is a curriculum structure and a taxonomy, developed as part of the same-named, global, transdisciplinary initiative, which aims to upskill and build collective capacity, across the built environment sector, for climate action. The Framework was officially adopted by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in 2020 to formulate their Climate Literacy Knowledge Schedule, which this book is structured around.

Evidence-Based Design (EBD) is the process of constructing a built environment, based on scientific research, where data systematically informs the best possible solutions, or a combination of them, to deliver the optimum outcomes.

*This analysis methodology became popular, following the seminal study undertaken by researcher Roger Ulrich in 1984 which demonstrated a window view’s impact on patient recovery, from surgery in hospitals.

A Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) is the process of systematically obtaining quantitative and qualitative information (often through sub-meters and spot checks for environmental monitoring of temperature, light, noise, and air quality levels) and feedback (typically through occupant surveys) on a building’s performance in-use after (at least one year of) occupancy.

*POEs often involve building occupiers, clients, building/facilities managers, patients, architects, engineers and builders, among others.

Performance Gap is a term used to describe the disparity found between a building’s predicted energy use and (operational) carbon emissions (at design stage) and the actual, in-use performance of that same building, once constructed and occupied for some time.

Soft Landings is the process of delivering a built environment where all decisions made from inception to construction completion and beyond (i.e. extended aftercare) prioritise the improvement of that asset’s operational performance, while also meeting the client's expectations.

*Adopted as a framework and a strategy to ensure that the transition from construction to occupation is well considered throughout the development of a project. Building Information Modelling (BIM), commissioning, facilities management training, and Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) are some of the key aspects underlined by the Soft Landings Framework, which was first published by the Building Services Research and Information Association (BSRIA) in 2017.

Design for Performance (DfP) is a process and an approach to design – developed as part of the same-named industry-backed initiative – that is based on measurable outcomes, to close the ‘gap’ in a building’s performance, which exists between the original design intent (as predicted at design stage) and its true performance in use.

*The same-named initiative, focusing on new office buildings in the UK, has been led by the Better Buildings Partnership (BBP) since 2019.

A Nearly Zero-Energy Building (nZEB) is a building performance requirement (included in the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive Recast (EPBD) in 2010) which demands all new buildings, from 2021 onwards, to be Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings (nZEB).

*NZEB means that a building has a very high energy performance with its zero or a very low amount of energy being, to a significant extent, supplied from renewable energy sources on site or nearby areas.

Biomass is material of biological origin, excluding material embedded in geological and/or fossilised formations (WLCN, 2022).

Energiesprong is a whole-house retrofit and/or new build standard, as well as a funding approach – especially attractive for social housing providers – to deliver net zero energy homes.

*Created by the Dutch government in 2010, and proven in the Netherlands with thousands of case studies, it is considered a ‘deep’ retrofit approach where a new exterior envelope, a solar roof, and a state-of-the-art heating system are installed in a house within a short period of time.

Adaptive Capacity is the social and technical ability of systems, organisations, and living organisms (communities) to evolve and adjust to future changes, take advantage of opportunities, as well as effectively manage risks that may arise.

*In the context of climate change, it promotes resilience, giving eco- and social systems the ability to adapt to perturbations with minimum loss of function.

A Zoonotic Disease is an infectious disease that is transmitted from animals to humans by a pathogen (such as a virus, bacteria, or a parasite), either through contact or consumption of animals, animal products, or animal derivatives. Ebola, Rabies, and Salmonella are some examples of widely known zoonotic diseases in the world.

A Climate Normals is a 30-year average of climatological variables (such as temperature and precipitation) for a given time of year. Calculated using data from weather stations, it is often used as a baseline to evaluate climate events.

*The most recent ‘climate normals’ exist for the period of 1981–2010. The World Meteorological Organization recently recommended calculating the new ‘climate normals’ for the period of 1991–2020, in this new decade (EU, Copernicus, 2021).

Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect is the phenomenon of dense, urban areas having significantly higher ambient temperatures when compared to the surrounding, suburban and/or rural areas. This happens because the built environment absorbs the sun’s radiation, and re-emits it more, through concrete and asphalt, than landscaped areas, such as forests or water bodies.

100-year Flood is a flood event that has a 1% probability (1 in 100 chance) of occurring or being exceeded in any given year.

*For rivers, it is expressed as a flow rate, whereas for coastal or lake flooding, it is articulated as the flood elevation or depth. Based on the flood water level, the potential area of inundation can be mapped, resulting in a 100-year floodplain map.

A Heathland is a wide, open landscape (of shrubland habitat), found mainly on barren, infertile lands with sandy soils, and is dominated by low shrubs and plants (mainly in Europe), such as heath, heather, and gorse.

Urban Farming – also known as Urban Agriculture – is the practice of cultivating, processing, and distributing food in and around urban areas, to meet an urban population’s food demand.

Blue Carbon (BC) is the organic carbon captured and stored in oceans and coastal ecosystems (mostly by algae, seagrass meadows, mangroves, salt marshes, and other plants) in coastal wetlands.

*As oceans cover more than 70% of the planet’s surface (NOAA, 2021), restoring ocean ecosystems has the greatest ‘blue carbon’ potential.

Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) is a process, which focuses on offsite construction techniques (such as factory assembly and mass production) to deliver buildings with maximum material, construction time, and labour efficiencies and with minimal construction waste.

*It was created to meet the urgent demand for housing after the Second World War. Despite its benefits, this construction method can create unintended consequences, such as the ‘de-skilling’ of local communities as construction happens off site, and the ‘fixity and permeance’ of building parts that prevent ease of building adaptability over time (Green, 2019). These outcomes may inevitably lead to a growing skills gap, already pertinent in the construction sector, and delivering built environments with short lifespans – overall, significantly impacting the environment, people, and economy.

Property Technology (PropTech) is the application of information technology to real estate markets (CIOApplications, 2020). Often through an online platform (such as Zillow, Rightmove, Airbnb), it is used to optimise transactions of buying, selling, renting, managing, and researching real estate.

Design-based Research is a type of research methodology that focuses on producing concrete changes in real-life, rather than testing hypothetical theories. Hence, its ‘design’ output – developed through strategic ‘interventions’ – is intended to be used in multiple settings (Leinonen et al., 2008).

Participatory Design – also known as Co-operative Design – is a design approach where all stakeholders (e.g. project team, customers, end users, partners, citizens) are invited to actively participate in the project’s design process, to ensure the outcomes satisfy their needs.

*It is rooted in the concept of co-design/-creation where not only decisions are collectively made, but also ideas are generated in a cooperative manner.

Interprofessionalism is a process, by which professionals from different disciplines (with varied skills, knowledge, and abilities) work together – through an integrated approach – to deliver cohesive and holistic outcomes.

*It is a collaborative approach commonly used in healthcare education and practice to increase the effectiveness of health services provided to patients.

Value Toolkit is a suite of tools – developed in 2020, as part of a government-backed initiative in the UK – to support clients and policymakers in making informed, value-based decisions that drive better social, environmental and economic outcomes. It is based on four project factors (i.e. ‘capitals’), including natural (e.g. air, water, biodiversity), human (e.g. employment, health), social (e.g. diversity, connections), and produced (e.g. life cycle cost, investment return).

Life Cycle Evaluator is a tool (with a database) that is developed by Building Cost Information Service (BCIS) for built environment professionals, to evaluate life cycle costs and carbon emissions of common construction materials. It quantifies capital, maintenance, and operational costs, as well as embodied carbon emissions over a building’s lifetime.

Qualitative Assessment of Life Cycle Criteria (QALCC) is a qualitative assessment methodology to obtain the first ‘environmental diagnosis’ of a product at a life cycle stage (Sanyé-Mengual et al., 2014).

*Through a multidisciplinary expert team’s input, this methodology identifies the life cycle stages (considered as ‘Concept’, ‘Materials’, ‘Production’, ‘Packaging’, ‘Distribution’, ‘Use’ and ‘End-of-Life’) that have the largest potential for environmental improvement.

Chapter 3: Human Factors

Social Value is ‘the quantification of the relative importance that people place on the changes they experience in their lives’ (Social Value UK, 2022). In the context of the built environment, it is the positive value buildings, places, and infrastructure (as well as organisations) create for communities, society, economy, and the environment, to improve quality of life.

Biophilic Design is an evidence-/science-based design approach that replicates experiences of nature in design, to reinforce/forge human connection with nature in order to enhance people’s health and wellbeing.

Sensory Design is a design approach that focuses on creating products, spaces, and experiences which engage all human senses, either simultaneously or across several user touchpoints.

*Typically, at the forefront of User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX), and branding designs, sensory design principles emphasise the interconnection between human perception and a product/space/experience and encourage designers to explore non-visual solutions.

Place-based approaches are strategies/methods that focus on understanding the most critical challenges and opportunities in communities in a given place and encourage collaborative actions to use the best available resources, as well as gain local knowledge, and insights – with the aim to improve communities’ health and wellbeing.

People-centric approaches are strategies/methods that focus on people’s needs, desires, and behaviours – commonly in a workplace environment – first, before profits, to understand what inspires and motivates them to do the work.

Multi-sensory Design is a design approach, which infuses products, spaces, and experiences with stimuli that meaningfully engage users’ senses.

*Heavily utilised in retail, entertainment, and hospitality industries, this design approach recognises that people’s experience in and reaction to a space is multifaceted: conscious or unconscious, subtle or obvious.

Placemaking is a process and a multifaceted approach to planning, designing, and managing public spaces by focusing on people and their needs in order to create places (and transform public spaces) that strengthen people’s connection to these spaces.

*Initially introduced as a concept by the authors, Jane Jacobs and William H. Whyte in the 1960s, ‘Placemaking’ strongly relies on community participation.

Social Return on Investment (SROI) is an outcome-based method for measuring value (in a monetised form) that is created by the social, environmental, and economic factors that are traditionally not reflected in financial statements and cost–benefit analyses. SROI analyses evaluate the amount of social value that is created (in £ or $ or other) for every £1 or $1 (or other) of investment.

A Lifestyle Disease (LD) is a medical condition or disorder, associated with a person’s lifestyle.

*Often caused by lack of physical activity, substance use, alcohol, unhealthy eating, and smoking, it is a non-communicable disease (i.e. not directly transmissible from one person to another). Examples include heart conditions, type 2 diabetes, obesity, or lung cancer.

Demand-Controlled Ventilation (DCV) is a mechanical ventilation system – linked to a feedback control mechanism – that optimises an indoor environment’s air distribution by manually or automatically regulating airflow to meet the exact demand and ventilation requirements (based on occupant numbers, indoor pollutant concentrations, etc.), at a given time.

*Variable Air Volume (VAV) is a type of demand-controlled ventilation system that can help save energy.

Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) is an organic compound with a high vapour pressure (i.e. low boiling point) at ambient room temperature and low water solubility.

*Examples include methane, benzene, propane, and xylene, among others. A VOC is commonly a man-made chemical that is used and produced in the manufacture of refrigerants, pharmaceuticals, and paints and is emitted as a gas (i.e. off-gassing) from certain solids or liquids.

Olfactory Comfort is the state of the human mind that expresses satisfaction with an environment when a person does not smell strong smells and odours in a space.

Thermal Comfort is the state of the human mind that expresses satisfaction with an environment when a person feels neither too cold nor too hot (in terms of temperature) in a space.

Urban Canopy Layer (UCL) is the atmospheric layer in the urban canopy underneath the mean height of buildings and trees. Its climate is influenced by various surface characteristics (e.g. albedo, emissivity, thermal properties, wetness, orientation, etc.).

An Urban Canyon – also known as Street Canyon – is a narrow, urban space, created by tall buildings flanking a street on both sides (e.g. 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York, USA and Kowloon Street in Hong Kong).

*It is characterised by its aspect ratio, which is determined by the canyon's height to its width. An Urban Canyon determines the movement, direction, and speed of the wind within an area it sits in – which affects the air quality and the surrounding temperature of that area.)

Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) is an index, developed by Povl Ole Fanger at Kansas State University and the Technical University of Denmark in the 1960s as a metric to evaluate thermal comfort standards based on six variables: air temperature, air velocity, relative humidity, mean radiant temperature, clothing, and metabolic rate.

*It predicts the average vote of a large group of people on a seven-point thermal sensation scale (from hot, warm, slightly warm, neutral, slightly cool, cool to cold), where +3 is defined as ‘hot’, and -3 as ‘cold’. The requirements for indoor thermal conditions are defined in ASHRAE Standard 55 – Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy (as well as ISO 7730 and EN 16798-1), which states that at least 80% of occupants should be satisfied)

Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied (PPD) is an index that provides an estimate, quantitative measure of thermal comfort of a group of people in a space who would feel dissatisfied (due to their thermal conditions).

*The requirements for indoor thermal conditions are defined in ASHRAE Standard 55 – Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy (as well as ISO 7730 and EN 16798-1), which states that all occupied areas in a space should be kept below 20% PPD in order to satisfy thermal comfort.

Radiant Heat Transfer is a transfer of energy mediated by electromagnetic radiation – known as thermal radiation – where heat waves are emitted by a material object, as a consequence of its temperature.

Outdoor (Pedestrian) Comfort is the state of the human mind that expresses satisfaction with an outdoor environment when a person does not feel any thermal stress in a given space.

*Evaluated using the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) – "an equivalent temperature (°C) and a measure of the human physiological response to the thermal environment" (Climate Adapt, 2022) – an outdoor comfort assessment takes into account air temperature, air velocity, relative humidity, solar radiation, clothing, and metabolic rate. There are ten UTCI thermal stress categories, which range from above +46 (defined as ‘extreme heat stress’) to below -40 (defined as 'extreme cold stress').

Visual Comfort is the state of the human mind that expresses satisfaction with an environment when a person has a sufficient amount of light (without any glare) and access to views outside a building.

*From the light perspective, it is defined by the light and glare levels, light colour temperature, and balance of contrasts in a given space.

Illuminance is a measure of the amount of light – the ‘luminous flux’ – that falls onto (i.e. illuminates) and spreads over a given surface area. It is commonly measured in lux levels (which is equivalent to lumens per square metre (lm/m²)).

*Considering tasks and occupant age groups, illuminance thresholds are specified in IES Lighting Handbook, EN 12464 – Lighting and Lighting, Lighting of Work Places, Parts 1 and 2, ISO 8995-1 – Lighting of Work Places, Part 1: Indoor, GB50034 – Standard for Lighting Design of Buildings and CIBSE SLL Code for Lighting.

Daylight Factor (DF) – a concept first introduced by an electrical engineer, Alexander Pelham Trotter in 1895 – is a measure of and a metric for daylight availability in a given space. It is expressed as a percentage (% DF) of the amount of daylight available in a room, compared to the amount of unobstructed daylight that is available outside, under overcast sky conditions (Hopkins, 1963).

*The size, and configuration of a space, reflective properties of internal and external surfaces, the degree to which external structures obscure the sky view, and the size, location, distribution, and transmission properties of the facade windows, as well as skylights all determine the DF in a space. EN17037 – Daylighting in Buildings includes guidelines on daylighting, and ‘green’ certifications, such as BREEAM – HEA 01: Visual Comfort, LEED BD+C: New Construction – EQ-Indoor Environmental Quality, Daylight and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen (DGNB) – SOC1.4-Visual Comfort criteria identify minimum thresholds to be met in various spaces within a building.

Luminance is a photometric measure of the luminous intensity per unit area of light travelling in a given direction. It describes the amount of light that passes through, is emitted, or reflected from a particular area and that falls within a given solid angle (Wikipedia, 2022). It is measured in candela per square metre (cd/m²). (*EN 12464-1 – Lighting and Lighting, Lighting of Work Places, Indoor Work Places is one of the key standards which identifies illuminance thresholds.)

Circadian Lighting is lighting that is designed to follow the human Circadian Rhythm – a 24-hour internal clock that "regulates physiological rhythms throughout the body’s tissues and organs, affecting hormone levels and the sleep-wake cycle" (IWBI, 2022). It is measured vertically and at eye level in Equivalent Melanopic Lux (EML), which quantifies light’s effects on human biology.

*By changing the colour, intensity, and frequency of light, circadian lighting can send signals to the human brain, telling whether it is day or night and informing the functions people can perform at various times of the day.

Acoustic Comfort is the state of the human mind that expresses satisfaction with an environment when a person is not exposed to unwanted noise sources (e.g. traffic, HVAC equipment, appliances, or other, ‘loud’ occupants).

*Among many others, the WELL Building Standard – Sound concept provides a detailed list of specific performance thresholds for background noise levels in various spaces, sound masking systems, partitions and wall structures, surfaces, and reverberation times (depending on a space’s functionality).

Decibel (dB) is a logarithmic unit, which is used to measure sound levels.

*The higher the decibel level is, the louder the noise becomes. A level of increase of ten on the decibel scale translates to a sound that is ten times more powerful or intense. For example, a normal conversation is around 60dB, while a running motorcycle engine is around 95dB.

Ergonomic Comfort is the state of the human mind that expresses satisfaction with an environment when a person feels visually and physically comfortable in a space.

*Having adjustable computer screens, desks, and chairs (in terms of height and distance from the user, for computers) is one of the key strategies that can enhance occupants’ ergonomic comfort in a workplace.

Individualisation [of a space] is the process of tailoring a space to suit an individual’s needs.

*It is a principle coined by Peter Barrett et al. in their Holistic Evidence and Design (HEAD) project in 2016 where they emphasise ownership, flexibility, and connection as the three main [design] parameters of Individualisation.

Building Usability is a qualitative measure that assesses the effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction a specific user group can achieve while performing a specified set of tasks in a specified context.

An Activated Carbon Filter is a filter typically filled with a granular or powdered block form of carbon, which is treated to be extremely porous.

*Often installed in vacuum cleaners, air purifiers, ovens, and water dispensers, it can adsorb pollutants by trapping them inside its pore structure. Charcoal carbon filters are more effective at removing Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), sediments, chlorine, taste, and odours in water filters than removing minerals, salts, and dissolved inorganic substances (Wikipedia, 2022).

A WELL Certified^TM building has earned a WELL Building Standard certification (at ‘Bronze’, ‘Silver’, ‘Gold’ or ‘Platinum’ level), demonstrating satisfaction (through third-party verification) that the building has achieved a defined score in each of the Standard’s ten concepts: ‘air’, ‘water’, ‘nourishment’, ‘light’, ‘movement’, ‘thermal comfort’, ‘sound’, ‘materials’, ‘mind’ and ‘community’.

*WELL Building Standard was first developed by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) in 2014.

WELL^TM Health-Safety Rating (for Facility Operations and Management) is an annual rating system for buildings, developed by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), and launched in 2020, to "help organisations address the health, safety, and wellbeing of their most valuable asset–people" (IWBI, 2022).

*The rating includes 23 strategies that focus on operational policies, maintenance protocols, and emergency plans to keep spaces healthy and safe, while also ensuring the provision of essential health benefits and services to people. It is an evidence-based, third-party verified rating that can be used for all building and facility types.

Zero Energy (ZE) Certification is a building certification that was created by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) in 2012 and evaluated based on a building’s actual, in-use energy performance.

*It is a certification that is given to a building that meets all of its energy needs, on a net, annual basis, via on-site renewable energy sources, with no combustion.

International Living Future Institute (ILFI) is an international, non-profit organisation –established in 2009, by the members of the Cascadia Green Building Council – which administers a series of building, product, material, and urban environment (infrastructure, landscapes, neighbourhoods, etc.)-focused certifications, including the Living Building Challenge, Living Community Challenge, Declare and Just, among others.

Hybrid Tempered Ventilation is a hybrid (natural and mechanical) ventilation system – similar to Mixed-mode Ventilation – that uses natural ventilation for the majority of the occupied hours and is assisted by mechanical ventilation during peak heating and cooling demand periods.

*It is an efficient system, designed to meet a space’s ventilation needs, while also minimising energy use, maintenance requirements, and cost.

Building Commissioning (Cx) is an integrated, systematic process used to ensure that a building’s systems perform efficiently and in an integrated manner, according to the Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR) and the building’s Design Intent.

*Verified in phases, through documentation, testing, and balancing (according to the established standards at the project’s design stage), commissioning typically involves reviews of a building’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), security, lighting, controls, fire, and water distribution systems prior to occupancy. It can be done in full (i.e. Whole Building Commissioning), or partially (i.e. Partial Building Commissioning) only of specific equipment, functions, and systems, such as the building envelope (i.e. Building Enclosure Commissioning (BECx). Seasonal commissioning can also be done to evaluate a building’s performance when the indoor occupancy patterns and the external temperatures are close to the peak conditions, for which the systems were designed.

A Psychological Stressor is a social and physical, environmental circumstance that challenges people’s adaptive capabilities to situations.

*It elicits psychological and biological responses that can lead to serious mental and physical health issues over time. Common psychological stressors include relationship conflicts, increasing responsibilities, financial strain, health problems, etc.

An Environmental Stressor is an environmental factor that causes stress and strain.

*Common environmental stressors include climate change, anthropogenic, ergonomic, biological, etc.)

Biomimicry is a process that draws on and emulates nature’s models, elements, and systems to innovatively solve/overcome complex, technological problems/challenges and to optimise performance.

Biophilia is a philosophy of humans’ innate connection to nature and other living beings.

*Foundational to biophilic design of the built environment and products, this philosophy encourages the use of natural elements, materials, forms, patterns, and systems to enhance people’s connection to nature, in order to support their mental and physical health, as well as their cognitive function.

Circadian Rhythm – also known as Circadian Cycle – is the human body’s natural, 24-hour, biological, and emotional clock, which is synchronised to the time of day by external factors/cues, such as light and temperature.

*It influences melatonin secretion, cortisol levels, and alertness.

Typically referred to as RT60, Reverberation Time is the measure of the time (in seconds) required for the sound in an enclosed space, to decay/fade away by 60 decibels (dB) after the sound source stops.

*High reverberation time and background noise levels can lead to vocal fatigue and impede speech intelligibility. Enclosed space’s volume, its intended use, and the frequency of the transmitted sound all impact the ideal reverberation times.

Presenteeism is when employees are present at work, despite being unwell.

User Experience (UX) Design approach revolves around designing a product, space, building, and a service with a deep understanding of the end user needs, as well as their interactions with that product/space/building/service, through research and organised information (often in a visual manner) to improve their interactions.

Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM^®) is a building and neighbourhood certification system, established by Building Research Establishment (BRE) in 1990.

*It presents "the world’s longest established method of assessing, rating, and certifying the sustainability of buildings" (Wikipedia, 2022). With its third-party-verified and certified standards, BREEAM covers ten assessment categories (‘management’, ‘energy’, ‘health and wellbeing’, ‘transport’, ‘water’, ‘materials’, ‘waste’, ‘land use’ and ‘ecology’, ‘pollution’), and has a rating scale of ‘Pass’, ‘Good’, ‘Very Good’, ‘Excellent’ and ‘Outstanding’.)

Internet of Things (IoT) is a system of interrelated and interconnected, physical objects that with sensors, and processing ability, collect and transfer data over a wireless network without any human intervention.

Activity-based Working (ABW) is a work style that enables employees to choose (from a variety of options) their work setting, based on their tasks and activities.

*With the aim to boost employee productivity, and support with the right technology and culture (to effectively carry out those tasks and activities) – this work style also empowers employees to use different spaces throughout the day, enhancing their overall workplace experience.

Low-e Glass or Low-emissivity Glass is a type of energy-efficient glass that has a low-emissivity coating, which minimises the amount of ultraviolet (UV) and infrared light that passes through the glass, without compromising the amount of visible light that is transmitted into the building.

*In a low-e glass, the heat, or light energy that is absorbed by the glass is often re-radiated by the glass’s surface – a process known as emissivity. There are two types of low-e coatings for glass: passive and solar control. Passive low-e coatings maximise solar heat gains inside a building to ‘passively’ heat the interior spaces, whereas solar control low-e coatings limit the amount of solar heat coming into the building. Highly reflective materials have low emissivity and dark colours have high emissivity.)

A Building Management System (BMS) is a computer-based control system that is installed in buildings, to monitor their mechanical and electrical equipment. It includes lighting, heating, cooling, ventilation, air conditioning, fire, and security systems.

An Energy Positive – also known as an ‘Active’ – asset is one where all the energy use has been minimised, meets (at a minimum) the local energy use target (e.g. kWh/m²/year), and all the energy use is generated on- or offsite, using renewables (that demonstrate ‘additionality’).

An Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) is a sustainable energy supply system, in which heat and coolth are stored via a heat exchanger, located in a water-carrying, sand package, typically 90m deep in the ground.

*This system has an interconnected loop system with two wells: one for coolth and one for warmth. In this system, a building can be cooled in summer, with groundwater coming from the cold wells, and heated in winter (via the same heat exchanger, but in combination with a heat pump), with groundwater coming from the warmth well.

Universal Design – also called Inclusive Design – is a design approach and a process of creating products, spaces, and buildings that are accessible to all people, regardless of their age, disability, or other factors.

*It aims to enable and empower a diverse population by improving their performance, health, and wellbeing, as well as their social participation (Steinfeld and Maisel, 2012).

Social Capital is a set of shared values, understanding, norms, trust, cooperation, reciprocity, and identity that enable people (who live and work in a particular society) to foster relationships and create social networks, facilitating the society to function effectively.

Scenario-based Design is a design approach, and an iterative process of creating products, spaces, and buildings, in which future conditions and systems are integrated into the design and development process (of those products, spaces, and buildings).

*Delivered through a series of different techniques, this design approach’s main aim is to balance the users’ needs and technological feasibility to satisfy and sustain the users (McKay, 2013).

Social Value Outcomes are consequences of a built environment project (a building and/or infrastructure), an activity, or other intervention that has social, environmental, and economic implications, which influence people’s quality of life in a place or a city.

Cost–Benefit Analysis (CBA) is a comprehensive evaluation method used for assessing a project’s social impacts, in order to determine its influence on people’s quality of life.

*It is a method endorsed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the European Union (EU), World Health Organization (WHO), and the UK government (UKGBC, 2020).

Sponge City is a concept, initiative, and a new city construction model for flood management that promotes the exploitation of parklands, permeable pavements, and infrastructure (such as underground storage tanks) to soak up and store rainfall in cities.

*Initially developed by professor and landscape architect Kongjian Yu in 2000, the model became a national policy framework in China in 2014.

Chapter 4: Circular Economy

Circular Economy is a model for sustainable production, consumption, and reuse where the life cycle of materials, products, and assets are extended beyond one.

*As a systemic approach to economic development, it aims to benefit businesses, society, and the environment (EMF, 2022). For the first time, Ayres and Kneese quantified and described the direct material relationship between the environment and the (linear) economy in 1969 and framed it as a mass equilibrium model, reliant on ‘A Materials Balance Approach’ (Mendes, 2020).

Systems Thinking is a holistic approach to investigating how a system’s constituent parts (including their factors and interactions) interrelate to contribute to a possible outcome.

Natural Capital is "the world’s stock of natural assets, which include geology, soil, air, water, and all living things" (Natural Capital Forum, 2022). The goods and services provided by this stock are called ecosystem services.

Urban Systems are urban elements that make up a town or a city. Linking various forms of social and economic interactions, they include buildings, mobility, products, food, and services.

Repurposing is the process of reusing a material, product, or component at the end of its life cycle and restoring it to a functional condition for an alternate use.

Recycling is the process of putting a material, product, or component back into the same life cycle and creating a product with the same value as the original one.

A Health Product Declaration (HPD) is a standardised report of a product – often produced by manufacturers and valid for three years (with annual surveillance audits) – which fully discloses that product’s chemical content to a given threshold, by comparing its ingredients to a set of priority ‘hazards’ lists (defined in the GreenScreen^® for Safer Chemicals standard and additional lists from other government agencies).

*It provides a consistent reporting format among different products – guidance of which is given to manufacturers by the Health Product Declaration^® (HPD) Open Standard. By producing an HPD, the manufacturers are not required to remove any specific chemicals from their products. The LEED BD+C: New Construction – MR-Material Ingredients credit and the WELL Building Standard – Materials, X07 Materials Transparency feature reference HPDs to be obtained from a building’s permanently installed products, to earn potential LEED/WELL certification points.

An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a standardised report of a product – often produced by manufacturers and valid for five years – which fully discloses its environmental impacts, including its Global Warming Potential, Acidification, Eutrophication, and Depletion of Strategic Ozone, among others.

*It is generated based on data that is obtained through a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), which is performed using a peer-reviewed ‘Product Category Rules (PCR)’ document in line with EN 15804 – Sustainability of Construction Works, Environmental Product Declarations, Core Rules for the Product Category of Construction Products, ISO 14025 – Environmental Labels and Declarations – Type III Environmental Declarations, Principles and Procedures and other international standards. The International EPD^® System provides guidelines on how to produce EPDs and hosts a library of EPD reports. The LEED ID+C – MR-Environmental Product Declarations credit and the BREEAM – Mat02: Environmental Impacts from Construction Products – Environmental Product Declarations category reference EPDs to be obtained from a building’s permanently installed products, to earn potential LEED/BREEAM certification points.

Upstream Production is the process of exploring and extracting raw materials to create a product.

*This process involves anyone, who is bringing the product to the market.

Downstream Distribution is the process of distributing products that occur later on in a production sequence or line.

*This process has direct contact with the consumers, through the finished product. It, therefore, involves consumers, sellers, and those, who provide support for the final product.

Responsible Sourcing is an approach to active and conscious sourcing of materials, producing products and services in a sustainable manner.

*It takes into account the way materials/products can be reused, recycled, and/or disposed of, when they reach their end of useful life so that they can limit any negative impact they may have on the planet and people.

Social Procurement is the conscious commitment to generating social value outcomes among local communities and economies, and to benefitting the environment, as well as disadvantaged groups, through the purchase of goods and services by organisations.

Resource Efficiency is the efficient use of natural resources and the relationship between the used resources and the benefits they provide.

*The efficiency is higher when fewer materials are used to deliver the desired benefit.

[Resource] Consistency is the efficient use of renewable or recycled resources.

[Resource] Sufficiency is the sufficient use of resources to minimise their overall demand and consumption.

Human Capital is the investment in people, "enabling them to realise their potential as a productive member of society" (The World Bank, 2022).

*It refers to the economic value of all the personal attributes that are considered useful in the production process, including knowledge, skills, motivation, and health which people invest in and accumulate throughout their lives.

Built Capital is the economic value of man-made goods and financial assets that are used to produce goods and services consumed by society (Construction Innovation Hub, 2021).

Urban Metabolism is a model that describes and analyses the resource (i.e. material, energy, water) flows within cities.

*It is used by researchers, as a framework to study the interactions between the natural and human systems.

Capitals Approach is a method and a model (initially developed by the Forum for the Future in 2005), which is used for understanding how an organisation’s success is directly, or indirectly underpinned by the natural, social, human, and built/manufactured/produced and financial capital.

*This approach’s aim is to empower organisations to make decisions that bring the greatest value across all capitals (Capitals Coalition, 2022).

The Rs of Circular Economy is a concept and an approach to help ‘return’ materials and resources to the life cycle of a product by rethinking, reducing, reusing/repurposing, repairing, refurbishing, recovering, and recycling them.

*The overall aim is to produce less waste, pollution, and emissions, and use less energy and water, while also maximising existing resource use.)

A Secondary Raw Material is a recycled material from previously used materials that came from construction sites, thermal power plants, demolition waste, quarries, and other industries (such as textile and technology).

Rammed Earth is a construction material, made of a mix of clay-rich soil, water, and a natural stabiliser (e.g. animal urine, plant fibres, or bitumen).

*The construction method with this material involves a process of ramming/compacting a mixture of aggregates (e.g. gravel, sand, silt, and clay) into formwork. This mixture is then compressed (manually, or mechanically) to form walls, floors, and foundations. Once dry, the formwork is removed to reveal the rammed earth structure.

A Stranded Asset is an asset that becomes a liability or is simply prematurely devalued.

*An asset can become stranded due to environmental challenges (e.g. climate change, natural capital’s degradation), changing resource landscapes, new government regulations (e.g. carbon pricing, air pollution regulation), and evolving social norms, as well as consumer behaviours (e.g. ‘green’ certifications, net zero targets), among others.

Designing for Circularity (DfC) is a design approach that promotes circular economy thinking in all aspects of a product, service, or a building’s design.

*It aims to balance trade-offs between durability and recyclability, in order to support an objective and holistic decision-making to maximise the circularity potential of that product, service, or building.

An Inner Loop is a key component of the Circular Economy model that describes the actions (e.g. sharing, maintaining, and reusing of products), which should be prioritised to encourage products to stay in ‘circulation’ for longer periods of time, capturing greater value from them, when compared to those offered by the Outer Loop activities.

An Outer Loop is a key component of the Circular Economy model that describes the ‘last resort’ actions (e.g. recycling), which would reduce a product to its basic materials, losing its embedded value.

Residual Value is the estimated value of an asset at the end of its useful life (or lease term).

Reclaiming is taking materials or products from the waste stream and reusing them in their original form, with minimal reprocessing.

Upcycling is the process of transforming a material, product, or component into a product of higher value than the original one.

Downcycling is the process of converting a material, product, or component into a lower quality substance, with lesser value than the original product.

*It takes place when the original material is not able to retain its former durability, once re-processed.

Designing for Disassembly (DfD) is an approach that is used to intentionally design products, components, and buildings to be dismantled (in part, or whole) at the end of their life cycle, for full recovery and reuse in future functions.

*This approach encourages turning what would typically be waste into a valuable resource and reduces resource consumption, waste, and pollution.

Designing for Flexibility (DfF) is a design approach that is used to maximise a space and a building’s expansion capacity with modular, demountable, and mobile components (e.g. partitions, furnishings, furniture).

[Designing for] Adaptability (DfA) is a design approach that is used to prevent a building’s obsolescence, together with the associated environmental and cost impacts that would arise from material waste and resource consumption.

Cradle-to-Cradle Certified^® (C2C) is a global standard for products and materials that assesses their safety, circularity, and responsibility across five categories of performance which include ‘material health’, ‘product circularity’, ‘clean air’, and ‘climate protection’, ‘water and soil stewardship’ and ‘social fairness’.

A Material Passport is a repository for all building materials and products throughout their life.

*It captures all the critical (material) flow data – as input from the key stakeholders along the value chain – on a material’s environmental and technical performance, as well as its chemical content. A Material Passport can incorporate information from, or documents of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), Health Product Declarations (HPDs) and Bill of Materials (BOM), among others. Reinforcing the concepts of ‘urban mining’ and ‘buildings as material banks’, a Material Passport enables the reuse, recycling, and repurposing of existing building materials, contributing to the growth of a Circular Economy.

A Building Passport is a repository for all building-related information, captured throughout its life.

*Increasingly in a digital format, it provides all the essential building stock data – as input from the key stakeholders along the value chain – covering technical information, and functional characteristics, together with that building’s overall environmental, social, and financial performance (GlobalABC, 2021). It enables (primarily but not limited to) asset owners and service providers to effectively improve the building use, management, maintenance, and disassembly, consequently reducing carbon emissions associated with such activities.

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are locally adapted, resource-efficient, systemic interventions that harness the power of nature, and typically, cost-effectively protect, transform, and restore natural or modified ecosystems. They provide environmental, social, and economic benefits, as well as help build resilience (The International Union for Conservation of Nature & European Commission, 2020).

Blue Infrastructure is a network of natural and semi-natural areas within the urban environment, that include ponds, rivers, lakes, streams, wetlands, and stormwater drainage infrastructure.

Designing for ‘Leasibility’ (DfL) is a design approach – encouraged by Circular Economy thinking – that promotes leasing of building components and products (e.g. ceiling panels, raised floor systems, lighting) where the end user or the owner of the building does not own the products, but leases them from manufacturers, using long term service contracts.

International Fire Consultants (IFC) Certification is a third-party certification – developed by the IFC Group – for products and installers in support of fire safety and security.

A Hydronic (Air-to-Water) Heat Pump is a type of heat pump that uses water (as a heat exchange medium) to distribute heating and cooling inside a building.

*This system absorbs energy from the outside air to heat water, which is then sent through tubes in the floor, radiator panels on walls (to heat spaces inside a building), or through pipes (to heat domestic hot water). In cooling mode, this system draws heat from inside the building and sends it over to coils, where it gets cooled. This cooled/chilled water is then sent back to the building, delivering radiant cooling. The hydronic heat pumps create a loop where water is continuously circulated, eliminating the need for any additional water.

Phyto-purification is an ecological and odourless wastewater treatment system that takes advantage of bacteria (present in the roofs of purifying plants, such as reeds, bamboo, cattails, and sedges) to purify wastewater through pre-treatment, chemical compound processing, and biological water treatment.

Waste [Reduction] Hierarchy is a conceptual framework that is designed to rank and guide waste management decisions, both at individual and organisation levels.

*The five step Waste Hierarchy (pyramid) – defined by the European Commission and noted in their Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC – prioritises waste prevention, followed by reuse, recycling, recovery, and disposal.

Waste-to-Energy (WtE) – also known as Energy-from-Waste (EfW) – is the process of generating energy (in the form of electricity and/or heat) by burning non-hazardous, municipal solid waste (otherwise destined for landfill) and producing steam.

*A form of energy recovery, WtE processes can produce a combustible fuel commodity, such as ethanol, methanol, or synthetic fuels.

Syngas – also known as Synthesis Gas – is a combustible gas mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, in various ratios.

*Containing some carbon dioxide and methane, this gas is primarily used for producing ammonia, or methanol, and can also be used as a fuel.

Fly Ash is a fine ash powder produced (as a by-product) in coal-fired power plants.

*When mixed with lime and water, it forms a compound similar to Portland cement which makes it an energy-saving and low-carbon substitute to it in concrete mixes.

Cogeneration – also known as Combined Heat and Power (CHP) – is the process of capturing heat, released during electricity generation in a heat engine, or a power plant and recovering otherwise wasted thermal energy.

*This energy can be used on site, avoiding transmission and distribution losses, which are typically associated with grid electricity.

Waste-to-Food is a process of composting food and other organic waste and gathering yard trimmings, as well as manure, to collectively create products (i.e. food) for farmers and gardeners to use in soils – growing the next generation of crops and improving water quality.

*This process can also help reduce methane emissions (that otherwise would arise from organic waste in landfills), promote higher yields in agricultural crops, and aid reforestation, as well as wetland restoration by improving contaminated, compacted, and marginal soils (EPA, 2022).

Waste-to-Nature is a process of enabling nature’s waste (e.g. a cut tree, fallen branches, plant trimmings) to return to nature – through their decomposition and disintegration cycle – by leaving them on the ground.

HVAC Condenser Water System is a mechanical system that works in tandem with a chilled water system to remove heat energy from a building, or a process and rejects it to the atmosphere.

*It "elevates the water from the basin to the top of the cooling tower by supplying the necessary condenser water flow rate and overcoming the pressure drop through condenser of the chiller, the condenser water pipelines, elbows and valves" (Linquip, 2020).)

Off-gassing is the release of harmful chemicals (e.g. Volatile Organic Compounds) into the air.

*It commonly occurs when new carpets, particle boards, and furniture, among other products, are installed in a space. Off-gassing can increase at higher air temperatures due to the acceleration of some of the chemical processes at these temperatures.

Hempcrete is a biocomposite material that is made from wet-mixing of hemp shiv with a lime binder and used for construction and insulation.

*It provides a vapour-permeable, airtight insulation material with high thermal mass properties.

Bio Brick is a bio-based material that is made from cementing sand into sandstone, through microbial activity.

*The cementation process involves mixing bacteria and nutrients with sand, and through bacterial processes, calcite precipitation binds particles together, ultimately creating a sandstone material (Bernardi et al., 2014). "This process eliminates the need for firing by replacing the curing/hardening process with the formation of biologically controlled structural cement" (Menezes, 2017).

Ashcrete is an environmentally friendly concrete substitute, which uses fly ash (a waste by-product from coal combustion) instead of traditional cement.

*It is composed of more than 90% of recycled materials (Hamakareem, 2021).

Precautionary Principle is a concept – first introduced in the Rio Declaration 1992 – which empowers decision-makers to proactively exercise caution when there is a lack of full, scientific certainty on cause-and-effect relationships that can cause harm to human and environmental health.

Global Warming Potential (GWP) is a common unit measure of the amount of energy the emissions of one ton of gas absorbs over a given period of time, relative to one ton of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions.

*The larger the GWP is, the more a specific gas warms the Earth, compared to CO₂ over that time period, which is usually defined as 100 years. CO₂ emissions have a GWP of one (EPA, 2021).

Acidification Potential (AP) is an environmental impact measure of the (potential of hydrogen) pH-value reduction in rainwater and fog.

*It quantifies the amount of gases (mainly sulphur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and reduced nitrogen (NHx)) that are responsible for the acidification of soils, ground and surface water, as well as the effects on animals, ecosystems and the built environment. Generally, a regional impact, AP is measured in mass (e.g. kg) of SO₂e.

A Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification is a forest certification, which is given to forests that are managed to strict environmental, social, and economic standards.

*Since its establishment in 1994 by FSC, it enables consumers to choose wood, paper, and other forest products that support responsible forestry.

A GreenScreen Certified^TM is a product certification system – developed by Center for Environmental Health (CEH) and Clean Production Action (CPA) – which certifies products (e.g. firefighting foam, furniture, and fabrics, food service ware) that are free of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and many other toxic chemicals of concern.

A REACH Certification of Compliance is a product certification that confirms a product’s compliance with the EU Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006 – Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH).

*It can be delivered in the form of a self-declaration, a testing report, or a statement that is issued by a third-party testing organisation.

[Stratospheric] Ozone Depletion is the depletion of stratospheric ozone (i.e. gradual thinning of Earth’s ozone layer in the upper atmosphere) which is caused by the release of gaseous chemicals from industry (mainly from manufactured refrigerants, solvents, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and halons), as well as other human activities. (To protect the ozone layer, the Montreal Protocol (agreed in 1987) banned the production of CFCs, halons, and other ozone-depleting chemicals.

A brownfield site is a previously developed (for industrial and/or commercial purposes) and now disused/derelict land that is typically found in urban areas (of low economic growth).

*It may have soil contamination due to hazardous waste and this should be remediated before use.

Chain of Custody (CoC) is the process of chronologically documenting the sequence of custody, control, transfer, analysis, and disposition of materials (including both physical and electronic evidence).

*The aim of this process – which is recognised with the issuance of the same-named certificate – is to increase transparency and improve the traceability of products, while also enhancing efficiency and bringing more accountability to the supply chain.

A (PEFC) Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification is a global alliance of national forest certification systems that promotes sustainable forest management through an independent, third-party certification.

GREENGUARD is a product certification system – developed by the Greenguard Environmental Institute – which certifies building materials, furniture, furnishings, electronic equipment, cleaning and maintenance products, as well as medical devices (for breathing gas pathways) that adhere to strict standards for low down emissions of Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) into indoor air.

*Offering two tiers of certification – GREENGUARD and GREENGUARD Gold – this certification programme includes rigorous standards for testing to give assurance that the certified products meet strict chemical emissions’ limits, contributing to the creation of healthier indoor environments in buildings.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a management concept whereby organisations incorporate social and environmental concerns into their business operations and interactions with their stakeholders (UNIDO, 2022).

*Key CSR issues include responsible sourcing, labour standards and working conditions, social equity, gender balance, human rights, anti-corruption measures, good governance, and environmental management, among others.

Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) is a framework, with a set of criteria, that helps stakeholders understand how an organisation manages risks and opportunities around environmental, social, and governance-related issues.

*The environmental criteria refer to an organisation’s environmental impacts (e.g. greenhouse gas emissions) and risk management practices. The social criteria look at the organisation’s relationships with its stakeholders. The governance criteria focus on the organisation’s overall management (e.g. how shareholder rights are viewed, and how leadership is held accountable).

Blockchain is a decentralised, digital ledger of all transactions across a peer-to-peer computer network where participants can confirm transactions without a need for a central, clearing authority.

*Consisting of ‘blocks’ (a growing list of records that are securely linked together using cryptography), blockchain is also the technology that enables the existence of cryptocurrency (digital currency, the most famous of which is Bitcoin) – which is a medium of exchange (such as £ or $) but in a digital format.

A Supply Chain Mapping (SCM) is the process of engaging companies, suppliers, and relevant individuals, and documenting information across these stakeholder groups to create a global map of their supply network (including the exact source of every material, process, and shipment that is involved in bringing goods to the market).

Carbon Offsets are emissions reductions, or removals that are achieved by one entity and can be used to compensate (offset) emissions from another entity.

*Offsets must be purchased in advance where possible, be verified, and retired in line with the greenhouse gas (GHG) protocol. Carbon emissions must be minimised before offsetting. Exported renewable energy generated cannot be used to account for embodied carbon emissions (WLCN, 2022).

Lean Construction is a concept and an approach that is based on lean manufacturing principles and practices, promoting production systems in a construction environment that decrease time, labour, and material waste. It aims to improve construction processes to deliver minimum cost and maximum value.

Vertical Integration is when downstream and upstream processes are combined – by controlling all aspects of production in one location and often with one management team – to increase the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the entire production process.

End-to-End [Supply Chain] Visibility – also known as E2E – is the entirely integrated, end-to-end process of the supply chain which starts at product design and procurement of (raw) materials and ends with the delivery of the final product to the customer, together with after-sale customer service.