Environmental sustainability, “green design” and carbon neutrality are at the forefront of Australia’s political agenda, but perhaps more concerning is the issue of the embodied carbon in the building sector. It is estimated that up to 60% of greenhouse gas emissions come from construction only (a similar number come from manufacturing). 

The problem is, these emissions are “hidden” in the built environment; building materials break down over time and continue to contribute to global warming even when they are no longer functional. This “hidden” factor makes it extremely important to consider buildings’ environmental performance in terms of maximum sustainable energy use throughout their life cycles.

Australia is transitioning to a more sustainable environment by paying more attention to embodied carbon. According to the report by the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA), embodied carbon may be responsible for 85 per cent of the country’s built environment emissions by 2050. 

Embodied carbon is generated during the following: 

• Construction
• Manufacturing
• Maintenance
• Building demolition

All of these things prove to be a challenge for Australia.  Without intervention, the country will be in serious trouble. 

Fortunately, there is a plan…

The Action

Recently, the Federal Government pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 as they recognise the importance of decarbonising the building industry. 

Currently, several developments exemplify various ways to reduce the embodied carbon of a building during the construction and design stages. 

One is Lendlease’s International House Sydney and Daramu House that use timbers for construction. International House Sydney uses cross-laminated timber and glue-laminated timber with lower carbon footprints. 

There is also the new Atlassian headquarters in Sydney that is set to be completed in 2025. It is the tallest hybrid timber structure globally and will set the benchmark for sustainable and innovative construction through a hybridised structural system consisting of mass timber, concrete and steel. 

What the Organisations Are Doing

As mentioned above, several organisations are spearheading the reduction of embodied carbon today. They do this in various ways, such as: 

• Using lower carbon varieties instead of using traditional emissions-intensive concrete 
• Using other materials instead of concrete and steel
• Using existing on-site infrastructure
• Using recycled content
• Reducing the number of materials used

The Future of Embodied Carbon

One of the biggest challenges to embodied carbon is that it’s difficult to measure. Thus, the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) is now exploring and developing a framework for measuring, benchmarking, and certifying emissions from construction and building materials. 

The framework will be used in the current NABERS suite, commercial buildings and apartment blocks, rated based on their embodied carbon. 

Despite the current construction of new sustainable buildings, it isn’t the overall solution to the problem. Instead, the building and construction industry will need to develop innovative ways to renovate and reuse existing buildings with high embodied carbon. 

This may call for changes in legislation, such as the heritage laws and territories. Moreover, there should be clear financial incentives for this to take into effect. 

Also, according to the report of GBCA, “If Australia reduced the embodied emissions in new commercial and residential buildings by just 10 per cent between now and 2050, this would eliminate at least 63.5 megatonnes of emissions — the equivalent to taking 13.8 million cars from the roads for a year.”

A Cleaner Air Awaits

There are good reasons to consider the embodied carbon in the building you want to buy or rent, from sustainability to financial returns. If you’re concerned about your carbon footprint, you may want to think again about your next real estate purchase.

Quality caulking and sealing services in Brisbane and Gold Coast plays a role in eliminating embodied carbon in Australia. Quality Seal Australia is a trusted silicone and caulking service provider to the building industry. Contact us!