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T W E N T Y S E C O N D E D I T I O N

T H E B U I L D I N G C O N S E R VAT I O N D I R E C T O R Y 2 0 1 5

7

you include the time it takes to build the

new house it will be around 2050 before

the carbon starts to pay back. The UK has

legally binding targets to reduce its carbon

emissions by 80 per cent by 2050, from a 1990

baseline. Rebuilding the UK housing stock

therefore doesn’t help to meet these targets.

Instead we must look to refurbishment

to help with this challenging target.

This, however, is where our generic

embodied carbon analysis must stop. Each

refurbishment is entirely different and

therefore each case needs to be assessed

individually. The embodied carbon of the

materials for a refurbishment needs to be

compared with the additional operational

carbon saving for the building under study.

Each building also has a different energy use

profile. This should be done on a case-by-case

basis. However, the analysis above still shows

that refurbishment is a promising option and

that refurbished buildingdo not necessarily

need the same level of thermal performance

to compete when considered from a whole-life

carbon perspective.

There are, of course, many products that

do not impact on the operational carbon of a

building. The refurbishment of such materials

and products typically brings with it a carbon

benefit. Retaining existing materials avoids

the need for new materials and products.

When it comes to refurbishment

and repair, some simple measures can

be taken to reduce the embodied carbon

footprint. One of the most effective is to

reuse materials, either on the same project

or elsewhere. Reuse of materials can save

up to 95 per cent of the embodied carbon

emissions of buying a new product.

Beyond this, there are savings to be

made through material selection. One rule

of thumb is ‘timber first’. Timber is a natural

material that has a wide range of uses and,

if responsibly sourced, its production has

a relatively low environmental impact.

Therefore if timber materials and products

are suitable it is usually a lower carbon option.

Timber from sustainably managed sources

also stores carbon, which is a carbon footprint

benefit. Timber is composed of approximately

50 per cent carbon by mass. What’s more,

Traditional details in new development (above)

rarely match the quality of historic architecture, no

matter how good the materials.

Left: Brynmor Terrace, Penmaenmawr, North Wales,

badly damaged by aluminium double glazing and

other home improvements. Double glazed timber

windows have since been installed in some of the

houses with the aid of grants from Conwy County

Borough Council under a townscape heritage

initiative. (Both photos: Jonathan Taylor)