Overhaul of construction industry needed to reach net zero

Ljubomir Jankovic, professor of advanced building design at the University of Hertfordshire, discusses how a study by his team shows that a radical overhaul of the construction industry is needed to reach net zero goals. The research found that due to embodied carbon emissions only building all new housing using naturally grown materials with negative embodied carbon will allow the UK housing industry to be net zero by 2050. In addition to drastically ramping up the energy efficiency requirements for new builds, we should also urgently develop regulations for retrofitting existing houses, he argues. Better education of architects, engineers and construction managers is required, and detailed modelling of buildings will be required, too. 

The Independent (25/02/2022)