How does our built environment contribute to climate change and how can we reduce the embodied and operational greenhouse gas emissions of buildings?
SESOC Tips for Low Carbon Design and Resource Map
The Low Carbon Design guide helps inform and assist structural engineers in their efforts to decarbonise their designs, specifically for the Aotearoa New Zealand context.
Each section shares a 'Top Tip', either from a design or management perspective. If applied successfully, the tips in this guide should result in ready to implement knowledge to reduce embodied carbon emissions from structures within the design process.
The Resource Map is full of links to relevant resources, methodologies, webinars and articles to assist you to decarbonise your design.
MBIE: Building for Climate Change Frameworks
The Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE) developed two emissions mitigation frameworks (through the Building for Climate Change Programme) published for public consultation in 2020:
- Whole-of-Life Embodied Carbon Emissions Reduction Framework
- 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.
In July 2023, MBIE published the Operational Efficiency Assessment: Technical Methodology, which provides a method for calculating the operational efficiency of a new building.
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.
Read more about MBIE’s Building for Climate Change work programme
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. Its 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 oversees the Homestar and Green Star design certifications for New Zealand homes and buildings.
Homes
Currently the average home we build new 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.
- Read about Homestar
- Embodied carbon accounts for around 9% of New Zealand’s emissions so it is important we reduce this. Use the free of charge Homestar Embodied Carbon Calculator (HECC) tool for your projects.
Commercial buildings
It is important to build our large buildings to low carbon sustainable standards. In 2021, the Government announced building to a Green Star of five – setting a standard for engineers to follow.
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.
BRANZ resources
Buildings contribute to climate change through operational and embodied carbon. The Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ) has 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.
Timber structures and carbon use
New Zealand Timber Design Society and Scott Watson, Naylor Love present on challenging clients to get passionate about the potential of timber early enough to get it incorporated into a project’s design.
Carbon evaluations for timber buildings
New Zealand Timber Design Society and David Carradine, BRANZ present on carbon evaluations for timber buildings in New Zealand.
