Multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy, Cundall is partnering with industry bodies to change the global built environment’s approach to net zero.
With the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report calling for all new buildings to be net zero within the next 10 years, and all existing buildings by 2050 at the latest, it has become imperative for the global built environment to get its act together and kick-start a decade of action this year.
Cundall is collaborating with key stakeholders including Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA), Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), Hong Kong’s Construction Industry Council (CIC) and the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) to define targets, strategies and transition plans for achieving net zero carbon in both new and existing buildings.
David Clark, sustainability partner at Cundall says, “In the last twelve months, we have seen a significant shift in Australia in the level of urgency and willingness of many in our industry to become zero carbon by 2030. We need to make this the norm, and push government policy to catch up so that everyone has to do it.
“Achieving zero carbon is a global challenge that requires strong technical solutions and engineers will play a key role in delivering these. Cundall is dedicated to helping the industry and government meet the challenge,” he added.
Cundall is actively supporting the next generation of Green Star ratings in Australia, which will raise the bar significantly for sustainable buildings, providing a de-facto standard that other projects can use to define zero carbon, while also driving improvements in the design, construction, material and product supply chains.
In the United Kingdom, Cundall’s collaboration with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI) will help unify the UK industry on setting operational energy intensity targets for all building types.
Cundall also developed the Carbon Assessment Tool (CAT) for the Construction Industry Council (CIC) in Hong Kong as part of their wider sustainability strategy.
Cundall managing partner Tomás Neeson commented, “Sustainability is fundamental to Cundall’s future, and achieving net zero carbon is a huge part of that. We are committed to not only achieving net zero carbon throughout our own offices, but to sharing our learnings and leading the conversation around net zero carbon on projects that will likely only become more vociferous as COP26 draws closer.”
Image: NASA
