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Embodied energy is the energy locked up in a building: the energy that goes into the bricks, concrete, steel and other materials of which it\u2019s made.<\/p>\n
With existing buildings, that energy is in the past. We need to keep re-using buildings so as not to burn more energy in replacing them. But we can\u2019t do anything about the materials they\u2019re made of.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n However, when it comes to capital projects, extensions, refurbishment and other building works they all cause emissions and environmental damage as a result of the building materials they use and the processes they\u2019re made by. The steel frame of the dressing room extension, the replacement asphalt to go on the flat roof, the new seating, data cabling, boiler replacement and foyer bar all need carbon emissions to make, deliver and install them and all leave a mark on the planet.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to make sure the materials and products you add to your theatre are chosen with care, to minimise that footprint.<\/p>\n \n The damage a material or construction technique causes depends on a number of different factors:<\/p>\n \u2022 Resource depletion. Example: Tropical hardwoods. Plywood made of timber from virgin forests.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022 Energy used in manufacture. Example: Steel and concrete manufacture consumes huge amounts of energy.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022 Transport. Example: Timber products transported from Asia or South America.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2022 End of life: Examples: Breaking up concrete requires large amounts of energy, and the waste can\u2019t be used again. Dismantling carefully constructed timber or steel frames results in components which can be reused.<\/i><\/p>\n \n The best way to reduce embodied energy is to avoid building at all \u2013 or at least to be sure your work is necessary before you go ahead. It\u2019s helpful to go through a sequence of questions to guide decision-making for building works:<\/p>\n \n \u2022 Do you need it?<\/i> Is an extension necessary, or can an existing space be repurposed?\u00a0 <\/span>However, carefully designed, new building works will nearly always cause more harm than re-use. Quite often, operational change is a better answer than building.<\/p>\n \u2022 If you need it, then<\/i> can you make it from reused and recycled materials?<\/i> Like everything else, construction needs to move towards a circular, not a linear economy.<\/p>\n \u2022 If not, then can you use zero or low carbon materials and construction methods?<\/i> That at least minimises the construction\u2019s carbon \u2018debt\u2019.<\/p>\n \u2022 Are you sure you want to go ahead?<\/i> Building with materials and techniques that harm the planet will only feel justifiable if you are completely sure the need is evidenced and can be satisfied in no other way.<\/p>\n \n It\u2019s hard to avoid building works altogether \u2013 upgrading your building for sustainability will involve building works. It\u2019s essential that your briefing to design teams (architects, engineers, etc) and project teams (project managers, cost consultants etc) makes it clear that building sustainably is at the top of your priorities. There will be cheaper, less sustainable options for some aspects of the project. Your team may feel it\u2019s their responsibility to make you aware of them, and since money will always be tight, it will always be tempting to go for them.<\/p>\n Only you can make those decisions and weigh up those options. It will be your responsibility, as client, to ensure that the organisation\u2019s sustainability priorities are not watered down.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re planning layout changes or new space, then make sure you\u2019re thinking ahead to the whole life of a building. Construction is so damaging that building to fix a short-term need may be hard to justify. Flexibility is key. Organisational needs change, so it\u2019s important to build flexible spaces that will still be usable even if your creative vision moves on. Any construction you commit to needs to provide as much service as possible.<\/p>\n \n To ensure your building works are designed in as sustainable a way as possible, you need to choose a design team with:<\/p>\n \u2022 A commitment to minimising the scope of new building works.<\/p>\n \u2022 Expertise in sustainable design, to ensure buildings cause minimum damage both in construction and in use.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u2022 Awareness of the need to plan for the whole life of buildings, including how they will eventually be disassembled and reused.<\/p>\n For any significant refurbishment, ensure your design team work to agreed embodied carbon targets such as those defined by the London Energy Transformation Initiative<\/a> (LETI) and aligned with RIBA. And follow some of these simple rules:<\/p>\n Whole-life thinking is an important part of this. Since building can be such a damaging process, it\u2019s essential to make sure that the construction you commission will last. Sustainable design will be robust, durable, repairable, loose-fit and easy to dismantle.<\/p>\n \n There is good guidance available in the following websites about running capital projects and designing and building as sustainably as possible.<\/p>\n LETI (https:\/\/www.leti.london<\/span><\/a>) publish an embodied carbon primer, which is a good place to start (https:\/\/www.leti.london\/ecp<\/span><\/a>), along with their Climate Emergency Design Guide (https:\/\/www.leti.london\/cedg<\/span><\/a>). LETI also offer good advice on retrofit (https:\/\/www.leti.london\/retrofit<\/span><\/a>).<\/p>\n The UK Green Building Council (https:\/\/www.ukgbc.org\/<\/span><\/a>) has, among other resources, a \u2018Solutions\u2019 page of case studies: https:\/\/www.ukgbc.org\/solutions\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Design professionals have set up climate action and other groups publishing advice. The Royal Institute of British Architects have published a Sustainable Outcomes Guide (https:\/\/www.architecture.com\/knowledge-and-resources\/resources-landing-page\/sustainable-outcomes-guide<\/span><\/a>). Architects Declare (https:\/\/www.architectsdeclare.com<\/span><\/a>) and Engineers Declare (https:\/\/www.engineersdeclare.com<\/span><\/a>) have become global networks. Others include the Architects Climate Action Network: https:\/\/www.architectscan.org<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nEmbodied Energy<\/b><\/h3>\n
Planning<\/b><\/h3>\n
Briefing<\/b><\/h3>\n
Designing<\/b><\/h3>\n
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Finding Guidance<\/b><\/h3>\n