Carbon and cost hotspots : an embodied carbon management approach during early stages of design

The need for embodied carbon mitigation mechanisms is well recognised by research scholars and government bodies of the many developed nations. The potential for mitigation is in fact high during early stages of designs. However, lack of standardised measurement procedures and a shortage of comprehensive embodied carbon data make embodied carbon estimating challenging and less attractive to industry practitioners, and hence, mitigation options are not much explored during early stages of design (Lockie 2012; Dixit et al. 2012; Victoria et al. 2015a). However, it has been proposed and proved that focusing on the design of the carbon significant building elements can lead to significant emissions reduction. These building elements are referred to as the ‘carbon hotspots’ (RICS 2014) that contribute up to 80% of the embodied carbon of buildings. Even though there is a general understanding about the carbon hotspots in buildings, there is a need for empirical research in this area (see, Perera and Victoria 2017). Further, it is also evident that carbon hotspots will vary depending on the type or the function of the building but these aspects are under-explored. Therefore, this chapter explores issues related to embodied carbon measurement and utilising empirical data analyses typical carbon hotspots of office buildings in the UK. In addition, carbon is considered as a currency of construction projects giving birth to the dual currency concept. Especially, with increasing awareness towards the dual currency of construction projects (cost and carbon), the need to estimate, control and manage carbon alongside construction cost becomes fundamental for construction professionals and businesses to be sustainable (Perera and Victoria 2017; Victoria et al. 2015b). Further, Victoria et al. (2016) reported that there is a positive correlation between embodied carbon and capital cost of buildings. Accordingly, a concurrent analysis of carbon and cost will be more sensible and will add a different dimension to the discussion. Therefore, a comparison between carbon and cost critical elements is presented in the chapter and insights are drawn from the findings.