MATERIALS, NUMBERS, PRACTICAL ACTION

At Whitby Wood, we are working out our route to zero carbon, interrogating what we need to do, and what the construction industry needs to do, to get there. As engineers we can influence the reduction of carbon emissions by changing the way we operate our businesses and, most importantly, by changing the way we design and specify building structures and urban infrastructure, and the materials used to form them.

The first step is to understand our impact, so we began our journey by documenting the carbon counts for all our UK activities and projects, setting benchmarks from which we can reduce and eliminate.

The UK government is committed to reducing carbon emissions by 78% (compared with 1990 figures) by 2035 and to zero by 2050... see https://www.gov.uk/. So, what happens if Whitby Wood tries to reach the zero target by 2035?

  [PDF download]

The graphs that follow explain our approach and show a potential path to zero. There are many significant variables and milestones to be reached, some beyond our immediate control. Play with the variables yourself on the interactive graph and help us plot a route to zero!

Our carbon footprints

We are engineers and we work on the the design of building frames, building refurbishments and adaptation, and urban infrastructure. So, our carbon footprint has two parts: the footprint associated with business operations and the footprint associated with the projects we are appointed to design and/or construct.

We are asking ourselves what needs to happen in order for us to reach zero carbon by 2035 for both these footprints. The graph indicates the key areas of change needed.

You can find out more about each area by scrolling down or using the orange button. The numbers on each bar relate to the numbers in the relevant pop-up. Click on the pop-up links to see more information.

Business operations footprint

As a business, we emit carbon in the day-to-day running of our various office hubs.

Almost all office activities result in carbon emissions — using energy to run computers, lighting and facilities such as kitchens; using office supplies; travelling to and from work or meetings and project sites.

The top part of the graph indicates our ideas for reducing carbon emissions associated with office operations. Reaching zero emissions is also dependent on external factors, such as access renewable energy sources and to zero-carbon travel options.

Keep scrolling to see information about each line of the graph.

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Business Operations
Transform culture
Achieve One Planet and B Corp status
Whitby Wood is working to achieve One Planet and B Corp certification. It’s a voluntary standard of transparency, accountability and performance.

It means changing our business model, and we will be legally required to consider our impact on the environment.
Divest investments from fossil fuels
Banks and pension funds can be heavy investors in fossil fuels, which are closely associated with high carbon emissions. By choosing a bank and pension fund carefully, we can reduce our carbon count in this area.
Business Operations
Reduce office waste
Source furniture second-hand
We try to use second-hand furniture wherever possible. Reusing things means less manufacturing, so less carbon emissions.
Become a paper-free office
The manufacture of paper can be carbon-intensive (and use lots of water). Can we be a completely paper-free office? We are minimising paper use, working digitally as much as possible and largely eliminating the need to print things.
Business Operations
Reduce travel and energy emissions
Green-energy provider for all offices
By using green-energy providers we invest in renewable energy, avoiding the carbon emissions associated with fossil fuel power generation.
Reduce travel by embracing online working
We are building-in a certain amount of flexibility to our working arrangements, so people aren’t required to travel to the office every day. In this way, we are reducing our transport-related emissions.
Create local office hubs so people can cycle or walk to work
As well as flexible working arrangements, we have set up office hubs. We encourage people to cycle or walk to work where feasible.
Zero-carbon transport
Transport for London is aiming for zero-carbon transport by 2030, and it is thought that some zero-carbon air travel could be available by 2035. These external factors will help us reach net zero for travel emissions.
Business Operations
Support for staff to reduce carbon
Benefits for low-carbon activities
We believe that to achieve a zero-carbon world, we all need to engage with the issues and take action. Of course this includes our people, so we will do whatever we can to encourage and support low-carbon choices by our staff.
Green-energy providers for working from home
We will be accounting for the emissions associated with our people when they are working from home, so we encourage everyone to switch to providers of renewable energy for their home supply.
Projects footprint

Building frames and urban infrastructure are often intensive in embodied carbon, as carbon is released into the atmosphere during manufacture and transportation. You can read more about embodied carbon and how it is measured on the embodied carbon page of our website.

Construction processes and site operations during construction are also a source of carbon emissions. It is vital that we find ways to reduce embodied carbon and carbon emissions, and that we do it quickly. We are pinpointing three main drivers: changing our project mix, embracing technological innovations and transforming our design process.

The bottom part of the graph expands on the three drivers of change — all three are necessary if we are to reach zero.

Keep scrolling to see information about each line of the graph.

Projects
Transform design process
Carbon counting and benchmarking
By continuously counting and recording the embodied carbon figures for our projects, we can benchmark and compare with future design work, building ongoing improvement into our processes.
Sustainability QA process
To ensure that carbon emissions are always considered, we will be undertaking sustainability reviews on all projects.
Lean digital design
Using digital processes for design enables us to do more with less and to find lower-carbon solutions much faster.
Learning and knowledge sharing
Collaboration is key to the way forward — zero carbon is unlikely to be achieved by us all working in isolation. We need feedback on lessons learned and open source apps for use by the whole industry.
Improving site quality control
Improving workmanship and on-site inspection standards will help designers reduce specified concrete cover for reinforced concrete structures, and help reduce materials use generally.
Use 56-day-strength concrete
Traditionally, 28 days are allowed for concrete to dry and gain specified strength. In appropriate situations, specifying strength at 56 days means that the amount of cement needed is reduced, reducing the embodied carbon of the concrete.
Projects
Change project mix
Increase use of low carbon materials
Moving away from construction using mostly reinforced concrete and steel in favour of low-carbon materials (such as timber, stone, mud, silicate blocks, etc.) and hybrid solutions using existing materials will significantly impact our carbon emissions.
Prioritise refurbishment over new build
Reusing and adapting existing buildings, rather than demolishing them and building new ones, has a significant impact on carbon reduction.
Client’s brief driving sustainable design
When our clients set sustainable design agendas for their projects, it makes a faster change of our project mix possible, so we are supporting clients in this and promoting our ability to deliver cost-effective solutions.
Changes to regulations
By lobbying the government now, we can try to drive changes to regulations that will enable the required increase in timber and low-carbon construction, and more building adaptation and refurbishment.
Projects
Technological innovations
Zero-carbon cement
Concrete is an important material for construction — even timber and refurbishment projects will likely need concrete foundations. If we want to continue to use concrete, we need advancements in technology that will create zero-carbon cement. This needs to be a priority.
Low-carbon steel
Like concrete, steel is often a component in construction, including building reuse projects. To reduce carbon emissions in steel production (and the consequent embodied carbon in the material), technological innovations such as the use of electric arc furnaces (providing renewable-energy electricity is used) and the hydrogen direct reduction method are required.
Circular materials market
For the construction industry to truly reach zero carbon, it needs to create a circular market for building materials, so that we can reuse existing materials rather than manufacture new ones. Materials passports are needed, and design for disassembly needs to be incorporated into projects now.
Renewable-energy electricity grid
Even if the industry achieves a circular market for building materials, the use of electricity during construction means we cannot reach zero carbon until electricity is generated using solely zero-carbon methods.
ZERO CARBON FOR PROJECTS BY 2035

In this graph, the potential path to zero carbon for our project work is plotted over the period 2020 to 2035. To reflect the many variables that will impact on reaching the target, the graph is interactive.

A change in project mix, plus industry technological innovations and a transformation in our design process, will be needed to accomplish net zero carbon. The green line on the graph indicates our carbon emissions if we were to keep our current project mix and wait for the innovations to become available.

Use the controls below the graph to turn factors on and off and change the years in which they happen, and see how this affects the progress line.

Scroll down further to see a bar chart that illustrates the change in project mix required.

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Changing our project mix

The animated bar chart illustrates the change of project mix between now and 2035. Note that the categories shown are project types, not materials. In other words, ideally, we would be moving from predominantly concrete frame projects to predominantly refurbishment (reuse, adaptation, hybrid structures, etc.) project types.

The annual carbon emissions are calculated based on the percentage of project types shown, which change each year until we reach 80% refurbishment. This helps us reduce emissions before technological innovations become available. The green line on the previous graph (above) indicates our carbon emissions if we were to keep our current project mix (75% new-build reinforced concrete) and wait for the innovations to become available.

Missed the animation? Click reload below to rerun it.

Reinforced ConcreteSteelTimberMasonryRefurbishment0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%