The UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard (UKNZCBS) is issuing a call for more projects to come forward to be part of the pilot testing phase. The deadline for projects to take part is 31 January (2025), but David Partridge, Chair of the Governance Board of the Standard, says the reality is that new projects will be welcomed beyond next week’s deadline, particularly where they are in relatively underrepresented sectors or building typologies.
Architects should not worry if their projects cannot meet every element of the Standard as written today, he emphasises. In fact, this would be to misunderstand the purpose of the pilot testing phase, which is to look at the applicability of the pilot version of the Standard and how achievable its requirements are in practice on live projects, at whatever stage they might be. Getting feedback on which areas are proving difficult will be extremely valuable.
“We are asking people to apply the Standard to what they are doing so that everyone can compare notes,” he says. “We want to hear how they found the process of navigating their way through the pilot version so we can sharpen up Version One, which we hope to publish at the end of the year.”
How will the Standard work?
The landmark UKNZCBS Pilot was unveiled in September last year after a huge, two-and-a-half-year collaborative effort by volunteers and construction organisations across the built environment. Better Buildings Partnership (BBP), BRE, Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), IstructE, LETI, RIBA, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) were all involved in creating the Standard.
The mandatory requirements and limits within the Standard are designed to be ambitious but achievable. They have been derived from measured performance data, combined with expert professional experience on future performance trends and buildablity, which have been compared against a complex model of the entire existing stock and future UK build-out rates.
Different limits and targets have been developed to reflect the distinctions between typologies and sectors (such as housing to healthcare). This reflects the propensity for certain sectors to pursue different decarbonisation rates.
The mandatory requirements set out for net zero carbon-aligned buildings are ones that could - if the rest of the UK building stock were to collectively implement collective interventions - enable the UK real estate sector to stay true to the built environment’s share of our 1.5°C aligned national and carbon budgets. This approach is defined by the term ‘Net Zero Carbon Aligned Building’ within the Standard.
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What kind of projects are still needed?
David says that sectors where the Standard is particularly keen to see more projects featuring buildings that are more complex, such as those in the healthcare sector. But, he adds, applications would also be welcomed in retail, commercial, residential, hotels, sport and leisure, data centres and storage and distribution.
The board also wants to hear from more owners of existing buildings who are planning to refurbish or who are carrying out audits to understand what improvements they could make to operational and facilities management.
FAQs on the pilot program have just been published on the UKNZCBS website, which David hopes will dispel some of the myths or misunderstandings he suspects are preventing more projects from coming forward.
There is a notion that the limits will need to have been achieved to participate in the pilot, which is not the case, he stresses. Rather it should be seen as an opportunity to work through various issues and requirements with Technical Steering Committee members on what is achievable and where the chief constraints are.
“One of the biggest issues we’ve heard is people saying, 'we started designing this building three years ago before we had these limits and so we know we are not going to conform'. We say that’s fine, we’d like to know how close you are and what things would help you to conform with the next project you design."
He continues: “We want to pilot the Standard with projects that are at every stage. If they are under construction, people can be thinking about the sort of evidence they are going to need from contractors and from suppliers in the future to demonstrate compliance.”
How will the Standard take shape over the coming months?
Amrita Dasgupta Shekhar, who has recently been appointed UKNZCBS Pilot Testing Technical Manager, addressed organisations' concerns about costs when submitting portfolios with multiple buildings, such as universities or industrial parks.
She encourages them to propose such projects, providing detailed information on property types, construction stages and financial constraints. She clarified that project selection includes opportunities for further discussions before finalising participation in the pilot.
She also notes that the Standard has received enquiries about whether projects will receive a certificate or verification at the end of the pilot, and clarifies that verification is not included in the pilot and is still under development. Verification Administration bodies are still in the process of being appointed and will not be able to validate any UKNZCBS claims until after publication of Version One at the end of the year.
Amrita emphasises that architects should view the pilot program as a learning opportunity. Projects will be grouped into cohorts, with roundtable discussions allowing participants to explore specific aspects of the Standard. These sessions will help participants understand the information that will need to be collated at various project stages, provide feedback, and seek guidance on addressing and specific issues when demonstrating compliance. Additionally, the pilot aims to gather feedback on areas of the Standard that may require further clarification to support its application across diverse projects.
“There will be opportunities for a lot of peer-to-peer learning,” she explains. “People will be able to ask technical questions and get clarifications on meeting the Standard on a live project. It will be a great opportunity to talk to some of the individuals who have been absolutely key to the development of the Standard.”
Download the pilot version of the UKNZCBS.
Thanks to David Partridge, Chairman, Related Argent; Amrita Dasgupta Shekhar, Head of ESG and Net Zero, Greengage Environmental Ltd.
Text by Neal Morris. This is a Professional Feature edited by the RIBA Practice team. Send us your feedback and ideas.
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