How does our built environment contribute to climate change and how can we reduce the embodied and operational greenhouse gas emissions of buildings?
MBIE: Building for Climate Change Frameworks
MBIE, through the Building for Climate Change Programme, has developed two emissions mitigation frameworks, published for public consultation in 2020:
- The Whole-of-Life Embodied Carbon Emissions Reduction Framework
- The Transforming Operational Efficiency Framework
In February 2022, MBIE published the Whole-Of Life Embodied Carbon Assessment: Technical Methodology, which sets out a proposed methodology for assessing the embodied carbon of new buildings in New Zealand. It is intended to support the consistency of embodied carbon assessments of buildings in New Zealand while they are not mandatory, enabling early adopters to incorporate the methodology in their own processes. It is also intended to introduce embodied carbon assessments to those parts of the sector that may be less familiar with the concepts.
In July 2023, MBIE published the The Operational Efficiency Assessment: Technical Methodology provides a method for calculating the operational efficiency of a new building. Operational efficiency seeks to address carbon emissions from the use of energy and water in the operation of buildings, while also improving indoor environmental qualities for occupants. This technical methodology is intended to support a common measurement approach and consistency for assessing operational efficiency across the sector.
This suite of documents support actions for the building and construction sector outlined in Chapter 12 of Aotearoa New Zealand’s first Emissions Reduction Plan published in 2022.
The technical methodologies are not regulatory documents, however they may form the high-level technical basis for any potential future regulation of embodied carbon and the operational efficiency of new buildings.
Please note that the Operational Efficiency Assessment: Technical Methodology refers to an energy modelling protocol that MBIE are currently developing in consultation with technical experts in the sector.
NZGBC Embodied Carbon Tools
The New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC) is a not for profit industry organisation created by the property and construction industry. It’s hope is that by 2030 the New Zealand Building Code will be updated to ensure all new buildings are zero carbon. The NZGBC provides tools for the sector and also oversees the Homestar and Green Star design certifications for New Zealand homes and buildings.
Homes
The average home we build new at present is five times more than our carbon budget. How we build our residential buildings has a huge impact on carbon emissions, waste to landfill, resilience to climate change, density and transport emissions. Homestar is a tool which is helping to change that. Over 7,000 homes were registered for Homestar in the last financial year.
- Homestar and The Homestar technical manual v5.0
- Embodied carbon is around 9% of NZs emissions. It's really important we reduce this The Homestar Embodied Carbon Calculator (HECC) tool for Homestar – this tool is available free of charge
Creating vibrant lower carbon more resilient communities will be key to reducing transport and built environment emissions
Commercial buildings
It's important to build our large buildings to low carbon sustainable standards.
- Read more: Government announces building to 5 Green Star – this sets a standard for engineers to follow.
- Green Star Design and As Built sets out the specifics of building to lower carbon more sustainable buildings
Find out how using the above tools delivers on the Sustainable Development Goals
Structural engineering for climate change
What does the governments Building for Climate Change programme mean for Structural Engineers?
Listen to the interview with Michelle Grant from Structural Engineering Society of New Zealand
Steel product offset calculator
HERA is a membership group supporting New Zealand’s metals based industry. HERA have released a programme of work, Hōtaka Whakakore Puhanga Waro (mo te Hua Rino), that provides a carbon offsetting program for steel products in New Zealand.
Learn more about HERA’s zero carbon steel work
BRANZ Resources
Buildings contribute to climate change through operational and embodied carbon and shaping the way we use land and move around. The Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ) has developed and published a range of tools and resources on climate action and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the construction industry.
BRANZ is examining the knowledge, skills and competencies the building and construction industry in Aotearoa requires to transition to zero-carbon construction. Find out more about the future of work.
Climate change, sustainable development and geotechnical engineering: A New Zealand framework for improvement
In this paper, Ross Roberts describes climate change effects, such as sea level rise and coastal inundation, where they have overlaps with geotechnical design and hazard assessment. The impact that these changes are expected to have on geotechnical practice in the coming years and decades are also highlighted, and a framework for managing these in the design processes is presented.
Read Ross Roberts’ article on Climate change, sustainable development and geotechnical engineering
Timber structures and carbon use
New Zealand Timber Design Society and Scott Watson, Business Development Director, Naylor Love present on challenging clients to get passionate about the potential of timber early enough to get it incorporated into the design.
Watch New Zealand Timber Design Society’s webinar on timber structures and carbon use
Carbon evaluations for timber buildings
New Zealand Timber Design Society and David Carradine, BRANZ present on carbon evaluations for timber buildings in New Zealand using available resources.
Watch Timber Design Society 2022 webinar series - presented by David Carradine
