Publishings

The construction sector has focused mainly on improving its energy efficiency and the substitution of fossil fuels to decarbonize buildings.  It has largely ignored the threat from the continued growth in the built environment.  This article argues that embodied carbon in buildings can be reduced only at the strategic ...

Buildings that are too uneconomical to retrofit to comply with legislation, such as the EU Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) and National Energy and Climate Plans, become stranded assets.  They are a significant risk for investors and property owners that have not ensured that their real estate assets are future-proofe ...

Unless "sufficiency" becomes a primary principle in climate mitigation and policies for the development and use of buildings, it is unlikely that global warming will be reduced.  This article explains that we cannot meet the Paris Agreement targets of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels without building efficiency improv ...

The EU plans to regulate the renovation of already existing, poorly insulated or ventilated buildings to become carbon neutral by 2050.  The "nearly net-zero" energy efficiency standards for new builds are set to be strengthened.  For the initiative, the Commission will make up to €150bn in regional development, cohesi ...

The majority of hotel carbon emissions result from operational energy consumption.  With 80% of hotels in 2050 already in existence, this white paper sets out a high-level framework and prioritizes interventions throughout the remaining life cycle of the existing building stock.  The paper addresses the net-zero carbon ...