In 2040, approximately 2/3 of the global building stock
will be buildings that exist today, underscoring the
importance of balancing the efforts made in sustainable
new construction with upgrades and retrofits to existing
buildings to meet zero carbon standards. Deep
retrofitting goes significantly beyond current
conventional practice by maximizing efficiency
improvements and incorporating zero carbon tech.
There is no denying that retrofitting for sustainability is a
more expensive, complex, and time-intensive process
than aligning new construction with sustainability
measures. The viable options for technology upgrades
and structural changes may also be limited depending
on the age and location of buildings, compounding the
complexity of deciding which retrofits are necessary
across an entire commercial portfolio.
03 — Deep
Retrofitting
04 —
Embodied
Emissions and
the Life Cycle
Approach:
Taking a whole life cycle perspective when constructing
a building means accounting for both operational and
embodied emissions and what happens to the buildings
and furnishings at the end of their current use. Using
low-carbon construction materials, designing buildings
to use materials efficiently, and planning for the reuse or
recycling of materials at the end of the building's lifetime
can all contribute to lowering its overall emissions.
Refurbishing and restoring old buildings, instead of
demolishing and rebuilding them, is also important in
minimizing construction-related emissions. Proactive
commercial real estate firms involved in new
construction will consider the indirect emissions
produced through the building materials they utilize.
Just three materials – concrete, steel, and aluminum –
are responsible for 23% of total global emissions (most of
this is used in the built environment). There is an
incredible opportunity for embodied carbon reduction in
these high-impact materials through the design and
selection of innovative new alternative materials.
