With the built environment responsible for a significant proportion of global carbon emissions, we have a duty to recognise and respond to the impact that our buildings have on climate change. That’s why we’ve been measuring and reducing each new building’s whole life carbon footprint and mitigating five times the unavoidable embodied carbon emissions (carbon associated with the construction of the building) by protecting vital areas of rainforest since 2008.
<strong>Reducing or mitigating the whole-life carbon footprint of a building requires tackling both embodied and operational carbon emissions.</strong>
‘Embodied carbon’ is quite literally built into the structure of the building during its construction. It is the carbon that is emitted during the manufacturing processes used to make the required building materials, transporting them to site and the manpower and equipment used to install them. By the time the building is complete, it has chalked up a significant carbon footprint, which can’t then be reduced or erased. Known as ‘embodied carbon’, it can represent over half of the whole-life carbon emissions for an energy efficient new building.
Operational carbon, in comparison, refers to the carbon emissions generated by the energy used in a building post-completion.
The technology available is constantly evolving but it’s important to base your approach to sustainability on a sound framework. That’s why, at Prologis we take a three-step approach which includes the use of evolving technology.
<strong>Step 1</strong>
To reduce operational carbon emissions, the first step is to implement passive design measures to reduce the need for energy. These include high levels of airtightness and insulation to reduce potential heat loss. Our cladding specification and detailing provides insulation that is well in excess of Building Regulations, while pressure tests show that we can achieve air-tightness levels up to 80% better than the statutory requirement.
Rooflights on 15% of the warehouse roof area maximise the use of daylight, while optimal orientation considers the path of the sun and the prevailing winds. Where possible, offices are designed on a narrow floorplate with dual aspect glazing to take advantage of natural daylight and allow for effective passive ventilation. We also provide solar shading to ensure thermal comfort and avoid solar gain.
<strong>Step 2</strong>
When energy use becomes essential, we specify and install the most energy efficient plant available, such as intelligent lighting with low-energy LED fittings, daylight linking and presence-detecting controls. High-efficiency, low-NOX boilers with thermostatically-controlled radiators, help to heat the offices, while different parts of the building are sub-metered to help customers track and manage their energy consumption.
<strong>Step 3</strong>
Once the operational energy use in the building has been minimised, we can design and install low-or zero-carbon technologies to meet the customer’s specific operational needs and, as a result, further reduce operational carbon emissions.
Our energy monitoring data shows that relatively small areas of rooftop solar photo-voltaic (PV) panels can generate enough energy to take warehouse buildings entirely off-grid during daytime. PV arrays can be sized to maximise onsite consumption and energy savings, or increased in scale to target net-zero operation. This not only can significantly reduce energy needs, but annual running costs too.
You can read more about our latest net-zero carbon building <a href=”https://prologis.j2.digital/news-insight/our-stories/going-beyond-net-zero-through-collaboration/”>here</a>.
