by Jbs012510 h3 — January 27, 2010—The U.K. will not be able to achieve its target of reducing carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050 unless it urgently addresses carbon emissions from the built environment, according to a report (see “Visiting Professors’ Publications”) published by the U.K.’s Royal Academy of Engineering. Buildings currently account for 45 percent of British carbon emissions.
Engineering a Low Carbon Built Environment: The Discipline of Building Engineering Physics states that in the 21st century buildings must be designed to function with much lower levels of energy dependency. The scale of this challenge is vast and will require both effective government policy and a dramatic increase in skills and awareness in the construction sector, says RAE.
The report introduces a new discipline, “Building Engineering Physics,” which supports the existing professions of architecture, structural engineering and building services engineering. The discipline investigates the areas of natural science that relate to the energy performance of buildings and their indoor and outdoor environments, allowing the design and construction of high-performance buildings that are comfortable and functional, yet use natural resources efficiently and minimize the environmental impacts of their construction and operation.
The report states that before renewable energy generation is even considered it is vital to ensure that buildings are as energy efficient as possible, otherwise the potential benefits are simply wasted in offsetting unnecessary consumption.
RAE notes that one of the most pressing needs in the construction industry is for reliable information on the actual energy and carbon performance of newly built or refurbished buildings, to validate new designs and establish benchmarks. RAE calls on the British government to lead by example by evaluating on all new publicly funded projects and quickly publishing the results.
