Action needed on net zero buildings, warns Arup and WBCSD ahead of COP28

A new report has warned despite the goal for buildings to reach net zero by 2030, there isn’t a national policy requiring establishments to produce carbon-free emissions now or in the future.

The new report, which was created by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and Arup and published today, maps the landscape of emerging policies and certification systems around the world, and shows a route towards a common framework for net zero operational buildings globally.

Research in the report, which can be accessed in full here, examines buildings themselves and the energy that supplies them, highlighting that in order to reach net zero targets they must use clean energy and be sufficiently energy efficient to align that use with the wider energy grid transition in their area.

Against this backdrop, authors have warned that without any major progress, the built environment will be unable to reach the United Nations 2030 goal, which states that any buildings created after 2030 will be emission-free.

‘We are on the cusp of a large-scale transition to net zero emissions in the property sector,’ said Stephen Hill, sustainability and building performance expert at Arup. ‘But the target is not yet clearly in sight. We need clarity in the sector if we are to unlock the change that is desperately needed across the entire supply chain.’

For a building to be classed as net zero, authors of the report claim clear principles must be established for its energy demand and how it is supplied. These include:

• Have reduced its energy demand sufficiently to be consistent with the transition to 100% renewable energy for the market in which it operates
• Be capable of operating on 100% renewable energy sources
• Purchase 100% renewable energy through a tariff or power purchase agreement that is demonstrably additional to national renewable obligations
• In emerging markets where the above is not feasible, purchase carbon offsets to a recognised international standard would be an alternative means of achieving operational net zero in the short term while transitioning towards net zero

Roland Hunziker, director for built environment at WBCSD, said: ‘The buildings sector is critical to achieve the energy transition, as it consumes more than half of the world’s electricity.

‘Reducing energy consumption and switching to renewable energy are two sides of the same coin to achieve net zero operational buildings at scale in line with available capacity.’

In addition, experts have also outlined some examples of buildings around the world that are using innovative solutions to ensure they are operating emission-free:

• In Washington the Bullitt Centre is using all electric reversible heat pumps, exchanging thermal energy between the building and 120 metres underground. The roof is also paved with photovoltaic solar panels, which produce 230 MWh of electricity per year, helping the building sell excess electricity to the grid in the summer
• The Ridge, in Cape town, South Africa, provides heating and cooling through a combination of mechanical air conditioning equipment such as heat pumps, passive cooling and natural ventilation. These take advantage of the climate and optimise the amount of sunlight that penetrates the building through a ‘zigzag façade’

News of the report being published has come just two days before COP28 commences in Dubai. COP is the United Nations Climate Change Conference which occurs annually and was first established in 1995. Global leaders gather to discuss how they can combat the effects of the current climate crisis.

Image: Markus Spiske

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