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19 January 2010

Engineering a low-carbon built environment

The UK will not be able to achieve its target of reducing carbon emissions

by 80 per cent by 2050 unless it urgently addresses carbon emissionsfrom the built environment, according to a report published today by theAcademy. Buildings currently account for 45 per cent of our carbonemissions but it is estimated that 80 per cent of the buildings we will beoccupying in 2050 have already been built.

Many 20th century buildings are totally dependent on fossil fuel energy to

make them habitable - in the 21st century buildings must be designed tofunction with much lower levels of energy dependency. The scale of thischallenge is vast and will require both effective Government policy and adramatic increase in skills and awareness in the construction sector.

Report author Doug King, founder of consulting engineers King ShawAssociates and Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professor inBuilding Engineering Physics at the University of Bath, says: "The sheerpace of change in the regulation of building energy performance hasalready created problems for the construction industry and the proposedacceleration of this process, aiming to achieve zero-carbon new buildingsby 2020, will only widen the gulf between ambitious Government policyand the industry's ability to deliver."

The report introduces a new discipline; Building Engineering Physics,which supports the existing professions of architecture, structural
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engineering and building services engineering. Building EngineeringPhysics investigates the areas of natural science that relate to the energyperformance of buildings and their indoor and outdoor environments. Theunderstanding and application of Building Engineering Physics allows usto design and construct high performance buildings which arecomfortable and functional, yet use natural resources efficiently andminimise the environmental impacts of their construction and operation.

Before renewable energy generation is even considered it is vital toensure that buildings are as energy efficient as possible, otherwise the

potential benefits are simply wasted in offsetting un-necessaryconsumption. Creative solutions to make buildings more energy efficientinclude basic techniques, known for thousands of years, such as usingdaylight, natural ventilation and thermal mass, where masonry is used tostore heat and moderate temperature variations. However, with theapplication of scientific analysis through Building Engineering Physics,these aspects of a building's design can make a very substantialcontribution to meeting the performance and comfort needs of theoccupants without resorting to energy consuming building servicesinstallations.

One of the most pressing needs in the construction industry at present is

for reliable information on the actual energy and carbon performance ofnewly built or refurbished buildings, to validate new designs and establishbenchmarks. Government, which has set ambitious policy on climatechange, can lead by example, ensuring that full commissioning and post-occupancy evaluations against design targets are undertaken on all newpublicly funded projects. Publication of this information would quickly builda database of successful low-carbon design solutions to inform otherdesign teams.

Nevertheless, the construction industry faces a serious skills issue inmeeting the low-carbon building challenge. Few in the constructionindustry know how to apply the principles of Building Engineering Physicsin the design of buildings and low-carbon design is scarcely taught atuniversity level. The industry and educators are often still struggling to getto grips with the 2006 revision of the Building Regulations, which firstrequired cuts in Carbon emissions against previous practice. Yet withinthree years of the 2009 undergraduate intake graduating in 2013, they,and the rest of the industry, will be required to deliver not just reduced-carbon but zero-carbon new domestic buildings.

"We need engineers to think of buildings and their environments ascomplete energy systems," says Doug King. "The work of The RoyalAcademy of Engineering Visiting Professors is clearly starting to make adifference in encouraging imaginative interdisciplinary design. One of the


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case studies featured in the report is a concept design project bystudents at the University of Cambridge for a house powered byhydrogen-producing algae."

Dr Scott Steedman FREng who was at the launch, said:"Our homes andbuildings are the front line for the UK to reduce its consumption of energyand to manage resources in a more sustainable manner - yet we are notgoing to solve this challenge with loft insulation and double glazing alone.We need measures that go beyond the traditional solutions - newmaterials, new installation processes, new controls that are based on a

engineering approach to the thermal upgrading of existing buildings andthe design of new buildings. This Academy report on building engineeringphysics points the way forward."

Michael Dickson FREng, Chairman of the Happold Trust who supportedthe report, said: "Under the guidance of The Royal Academy ofEngineering, Professor Doug King has delivered a significant report on theteaching of building physics to the engineers of tomorrow and which willhelp to achieve the low carbon world that we seek for the future."

Read the report here

ends

Notes for editors

1. Founded in 1976, The Royal Academy of Engineeringpromotes the engineering and technological welfare of thecountry. Our fellowship - comprising the UK's most eminentengineers - provides the leadership and expertise for ouractivities, which focus on the relationships betweenengineering, technology, and the quality of life. As a nationalacademy, we provide independent and impartial advice toGovernment; work to secure the next generation ofengineers; and provide a voice for Britain's engineeringcommunity.

2. The UK Focus for Biomedical Engineering provides a forumthrough which the principal organisations concerned withbiomedical engineering can communicate, debate and jointlyact upon issues which affect this area.

3. The UK Focus for Biomedical Engineering aims to: highlightto industry the potential of biomedical engineering for wealthcreation; to encourage the UK manufacturing industry toexploit the opportunities available in biomedical engineering;
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to advise government, health authorities and the medicalresearch community on matters of legislation and policyrelating to biomedical engineering in the UK and abroad; andto enhance biomedical engineering as a profession.

For more information please contact:

Jane Sutton at The Royal Academy of EngineeringTel. 020 7766 0636; email:Jane Sutton

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