Despite traditionally leading on climate in the UK, a recent change of government in Scotland means that decisive action is needed more than ever north of the border. This short report by UKGBC outlines key recommendations for both business and government as to how we can tackle decarbonising our existing commercial buildings in Scotland. It also explores the pathway to net zero commercial buildings and the enabling factors that will make the recommendations easier to adopt.

UKGBC Scotland

At COP26, UKGBC launched our new network dedicated to accelerating the transformation of the built environment in Scotland. This new network is aimed at offering our Scotland-based members a bespoke, policy-led programme of engagement to accelerate the change that is already happening in the devolved nation.

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To coincide with Built Environment Day at COP28, and to mark two years since the launch of the Roadmap, UKGBC reconvened our project partners to provide an update on the built environment sector’s progress towards meeting our net zero trajectory. This is in the form of a “Progress Report”. This Progress Report reviews progress in the four years since the 2018 baseline of the Roadmap. It presents the operational carbon, embodied carbon, and F-gas emissions of the entire UK domestic, non-domestic, and infrastructure stock based on reported data, for comparison against the progress determined to be necessary by the original Roadmap.

Overall, the Progress Report provides insight into progress (or lack thereof) on emissions reduction in the sector over the previous 4 years. The data and key findings are supplemented with narrative reflecting on the lack of supporting policy framework to deliver on the WLC Roadmap’s pathway to net zero.

Building Life

With thanks to our Building Life partners for their ongoing support

Net Zero Whole Life Carbon Roadmap

The industry’s pathway to net zero by 2050.

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This is the first in a wider series of resources designed to help organisations meet – and where possible, go beyond – Biodiversity Net Gain, developed with support and advice from Defra and Natural England. The factsheets are designed to demystify key themes and strategies; and signpost to key resources and support that will support the delivery of BNG.  

Biodiversity Net Gain Definitions

Explore key definitions related to Biodiversity Net Gain and Environmental Net Gain.

Explore

Resilience & Nature Partners

Our nature work is supported by our Resilience & Nature Partners.

Biodiversity and Environmental Net Gain Project Partners

Our work on Biodiversity Net Gain and Environmental Gain is generously supported by the following organisations.

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At present, the UK’s built assets are inadequately prepared for mounting climatic risks, presenting an ‘adaptation gap’ that must be overcome if communities, businesses, and investments are to be protected in the long term. Ensuring climate resilience requires greater investment in alternative approaches to the design, delivery, and management of our built environment. Prioritising NBS as a means of adaptation can provide positive financial returns on investment, in addition to a broad range of environmental and social co-benefits. However, developing and utilising innovative financial models and mechanisms that can support nature-based investment both at scale and in perpetuity remains challenging.

The overarching ambition of the IGNITION project is to develop feasible and scalable finance models that can effectively translate the benefits of NBS into an attractive investment opportunity for a range of financial stakeholders. The event considered the work and progress of the IGNITION project, discussing its successes and innovations, as well as the persistent complexities that surround financing NBS in practice. The following key issues emerged from the discussions and are developed further within the report: 

1. The imperative and complexity of quantifying the benefits and value(s) of NBS
2. The need to utilise increasingly innovative financial models and approaches
3. The difficulty in ensuring investor confidence (both short and long-term)
4. Ambiguities associated with the NBS supply chain
5. The role of regulations and regulators in enabling industry innovation

To find out more about IGNITION and its range of evidence and publications, please visit their .

IGNITION Partners 

IGNITION Funders 

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Following that meeting, UKGBC convened an industry-wide workshop to explore these issues in more detail – and this paper presents the findings of that workshop and makes recommendations for driving enhanced uptake of low carbon heating solutions.  The paper has been shared with Minister Kwarteng and relevant officials in BEIS.  It represents UKGBC’s contribution to the long-awaited Heat & Buildings Strategy.

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Following direct engagement with industry and analysis of the projected zero carbon energy capacity of the UK, Ģ��ֱ�� recommending that the offices sector should reduce energy demand by an average of 60% by 2050 to help the UK achieve net zero.

The targets were developed as an addition to UKGBC’s landmark 2019 report ‘Net Zero Carbon Buildings: A Framework Definition’, which sets out guidance for buildings seeking to achieve net zero for construction and operational energy. They have been developed in collaboration with Verco, Better Buildings Partnership and BPF, with support from Arup, Carbon Intelligence, JLL UK and TfL.

The new energy targets represent more stretching requirements for commercial offices claiming net zero in operation and set out a trajectory of tightening energy performance requirements over the next fifteen years. Offices seeking zero carbon for operational energy should first meet the energy performance targets, then meet demand as far as possible through renewable energy and finally offset any remaining carbon. This data should then be independently verified and publicly disclosed on an annual basis to demonstrate how the net zero balance has been achieved.

If you have any questions on these targets or would like to provide feedback, please email ANZ@ukgbc.org.

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The introductory section in the Circular Economy Research Survey document sets out the importance of circular economy to sustainable businesses and provides some leadership examples both in and out of sector and a section for each built environment sub-sector – clients, advisors, contractors and product manufacturers. For each of these, we set out how each sub-sector within the built environment industry could go about applying circular economy thinking within their businesses and how Gold Leaf members are currently approaching circular economy illustrated with some examples.

Whilst each organisation has a role to play in adapting their business model, this is undoubtedly a topic that requires systemic change with commitment and buy-in from all different players in the sector, partnerships and collaborations across industry sectors, and strong government intervention, both national and international.

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These estates will need a different approach to ensure that those who cannot move into a new property can get high quality improvements to their current home. UKGBC’s Regeneration and Retrofit Task Group set out to investigate the regenerative impacts of whole home retrofit and building the business case for retrofit-led regeneration projects in terms of social, economic and environmental benefits. The term retrofit is often used interchangeably with the installation of energy efficiency measures in a property, but to truly transform an estate, regeneration projects will need to take a whole home approach – at scale – which provides tangible outcomes for residents in terms of reduced running costs, improved health and wellbeing, and better safety and security.

The task group examined the ways in which these high quality retrofit-led regeneration projects could be delivered. The group developed proposals for the use of social enterprises to engage residents and offer local employment and apprenticeships in construction, and for overcoming funding barriers through local authority revolving funds which can provide a compelling offer for all households in an area. The intention was to find local authorities and industry partners who could trial such approaches on existing projects.

This work was a direct consequence of a process of co-creation at the UKGBC City Summit in Birmingham in February 2016, where we brought together local authority representatives, the private sector, third sector and academia in a series of structured “breakthrough innovation” workshops. For more information on the Summit, and our wider work on sustainable cities go here.

The following UKGBC member organisations took part in the Task Group:

• AkzoNobel/Dulux Trade
• Arup
• BRE
• E.ON
• Haringey Council
• Clarion Housing Group
• Linkcity
• PRP
• Rockwool
• Melius Homes
• SmartKlub

For more information about the regeneration task group, contact Richard.Twinn@ukgbc.org.

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