Recent sustainability news shows increasing momentum for green construction and sustainable building design worldwide. In the UK, the government is progressing with green hydrogen initiatives, while Black & Veatch leverages their engineering expertise to support shortlisted projects in Hydrogen Allocation Round 2. Despite these advances, the complexity of green hydrogen’s role is underscored by Statkraft’s decision to pause new projects because of uncertain market conditions, highlighting challenges in decarbonising the built environment and reducing the carbon footprint of construction.
A notable development comes from the World Green Building Council with its Resources and Circularity Readiness Framework, designed to support the circular economy in construction across Asia. The framework guides eco-design for buildings through enhanced resource efficiency in construction, promoting end-of-life reuse in construction and minimising the environmental impact of construction materials. This aligns with the push towards whole life carbon assessment and building lifecycle performance.
The Urban Land Institute’s latest report outlines barriers to decarbonisation and the importance of adopting net zero whole life carbon principles in the built environment. The report provides seven guiding principles to decrease the risk of asset stranding, a growing concern as global standards for whole life carbon and embodied carbon become stricter. Legal experts warn that weakening European Union corporate due diligence laws could pose life cycle cost and legal risks for construction companies, emphasising the necessity for robust frameworks to achieve net zero carbon buildings and sustainable construction outcomes.
Technological innovation continues, with high-efficiency perovskite solar modules being scaled up by manufacturers like Tandem PV, enabling low carbon design and supporting energy-efficient buildings. In Ireland, Ameresco’s wind turbine facility upgrades illustrate commitment to green infrastructure and increased renewable energy integration in the construction sector. Advancements in low carbon construction materials and renewable building materials remain central to lowering operational carbon across new projects.
Attention on the circular economy is increasing, with only 12% of UK local authorities currently offering kerbside collection for plastic film waste, based on a WRAP study. This signals both a challenge and opportunity for eco-friendly construction to embrace circular construction strategies and drive better waste management and recycling along the building lifecycle. Developing sustainable building practices will be essential for achieving more sustainable urban development and ensuring the environmental sustainability in construction.
These developments demonstrate the interconnectedness of regulatory, technological, and operational drivers in sustainable construction. As the industry moves towards carbon neutral construction, integrating lifecycle assessment, sustainable material specification, and life cycle thinking in construction is key to achieving whole life carbon emissions reduction and building a net zero future.
