NEWTECNIC CARBON MANAGEMENT POLICY

Newtecnic is committed to a whole-life carbon management policy of minimising the energy consumed during the construction of buildings designed by the firm, calculated as embodied energy, as well as calculations of energy consumed by the building in use.

The principles for the measurement of embodied energy used by the company are set out in the Environment Chapter of the 5th edition of the Modern Construction Handbook, authored by Newtecnic and published by leading publisher Birkhauser. The Modern Construction Handbook is available in the libraries of most architecture schools around the world as a textbook, and is used as a teaching tool in leading universities.

Newtecnic works to improve in reduction of energy in the construction and occupation of buildings of its own design using the following methods:

  1. Quantification: Development of a baseline to allow for performance benchmarking of specific contractor proposals at the stage of competitive tender, focussing on the supply of carbon intensive components and assemblies.

  2. Assessment: Identification of on-site activities, under Scopes 1 and 2 of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGP), which result in high levels of carbon emission. Identification of carbon emissions arising from fabrication, manufacture and installation of building components and assemblies under Scope 3 of the GHGP.

  3. Targets: Continuous development of method of measurement of direct emissions arising from contractor consumption of fuel and electricity, together with use of materials with high embodied energy used in large quantities, such as concrete and steel. Recommendations for the fabrication, manufacture and installation of building assemblies with reduced greenhouse gas emissions are embedded in project-specific building specifications produced by the company.

  4. Management: Regular monitoring of progress to ensure that stakeholders on all design projects are aware of the need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions both during construction and while buildings are in use.

  5. Best Practice reporting: Deployment, communication and reporting of relevant best practices from across projects to ensure that Newtecnic achieves the aims stated here.