Earth Day 2022: ‘We need to drive low-carbon building designs’ – Ingleton Wood sustainability experts Thursday, 21st April 2022

Two sustainability specialists at Ingleton Wood who are marking Earth Day 2022 with new qualifications have backed calls to press ahead with a low-carbon agenda to support the transition to a net zero built environment. 

Steve Nash, a Building Services Engineer based at our Norwich office, has completed a Low Carbon Consultant qualification, certified by CIBSE.

Low Carbon Consultant Design Specialists are registered as being able to confirm Part L compliance, advise on energy efficiency, conservation, low carbon designs, and renewable technologies, and provide additional services such as using passive design technologies.

“We have reached the point where taking action to tackle climate change has become more important than ever before,” Steve said on Earth Day 2022, which began life half a century ago following the Santa Barbara oil spill that devastated the Californian coast.

“The spotlight is firmly on the built environment, and more specifically building services design. The pressure is there to ensure designs are appropriate and consider the impact they have on the environment.”

The global building sector accounts for 38% of total energy-related CO2 emissions, when construction and operational emissions are combined, a UN report in 2020 found.

In the UK, a new report has found the built environment is responsible for 25% of total greenhouse gas emissions (buildings and infrastructure). However, the study by the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) also revealed that built environment emissions have reduced by around 30% over the last two decades (excluding surface transport).

“The impact of construction is huge on the environment, so we must all be committed to low carbon designs,” Steve added.

“This is emphasised under Part L of the updated Building Regulations that come into effect in June 2022.

“Furthermore, there is an expectation now for contractors to account for the amount of carbon that buildings will use over their lifetime, as well as other factors to ensure low-energy efficiencies, such as the sourcing and transportation of materials being made public.  

“It is imperative that our buildings become more energy efficient. This is the responsibility of designers who need support from the wider industry. Everyone has got to be on board and be aware of the bigger picture. We can’t keep stalling. We have got to adopt these changes and drive our low-carbon designs so that they go beyond the bare minimum standard of Building Regulations to make a real difference.”

Meanwhile, Geoff Reed, a Sustainability Specialist and Environmental Assessor based at our Colchester office, is among the first UK cohorts to have completed an ECMK course to become a Qualified Retrofit Assessor.

“Both Steve and I are very pleased to have achieved UK-leading qualifications to bolster our reputation as sustainability specialists at a time when it is needed most,” Geoff said.

“The main part of my role is working with housing associations to help improve the quality of the standard of living for occupants in affordable housing by carrying out retrofit assessments which identify areas to address and recommend solutions.

“This could be ventilation and using Building Regulations to determine the exact airflow rates to help prevent or resolve a build-up of damp or mould, for example, which will in turn improve the health and wellbeing of the occupant, most importantly, while also improving key credentials for the landlord.

“The pandemic has no doubt exacerbated the need for retrofit assessments to take place in blocks of flats owned by housing associations and local councils, and I look forward to using my new ECMK Qualified Retrofit Assessor qualification to help drive this essential work."