Part Z: A proposed amendment to the building regulations
2021 - 2023
Due to the significant contribution that the embodied carbon of buildings makes to the climate emergency, there is a need to introduce legislation towards mandatory reporting of carbon emissions in the built environment, along with limiting embodied carbon emissions on projects.
A group of industry professionals, including FCBStudios Associate Tim den Dekker have written Part Z and its accompanying Proposed Document Z as a proof of concept of the regulation that’s needed in the UK. If enacted, Part Z would ensure that embodied carbon is assessed on all projects, as part of a comprehensive whole-life carbon assessment.
It would also ensure that the embodied carbon emissions are then capped on all major construction projects - initially through limits on upfront embodied carbon, but over time expanding to cover all aspects of embodied carbon.
Proposed Document Z is aligned with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Professional Statement ‘Whole life carbon assessment for the built environment’, and guidance and recommendations made by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE), the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) and the London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI).
First published in 2021, the idea of regulating embodied carbon has gone from a marginal topic to one being debated in parliament – twice over – and recognized as being vital to the UK’s efforts to combatting climate change.
The Part Z Authors are:
Will Arnold, Head of Climate Action at the Institution of Structural Engineers
Simon Sturgis, Sustainability Consultant and founder of the Whole Life Carbon Network
Dr Julie Godefroy, Technical Manager at the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers
Dr Jannik Giesekam, Research Fellow in Industrial Climate Policy at the University of Leeds
and Tim den Dekker, Associate at Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios.
For more information, contact hello@part-z.uk