The last week of October is traditionally cepezed's Green Week: five inspiring days in which we focus even more on sustainability. We kicked off Green Week with an update on our CO₂ performance.
cepezed is actively committed to reducing CO₂ emissions of both embodied and operational carbon. This means that we are already striving for designs that comply with the EU standard that will be in effect in 2028. Jeroen van Lier and Alexandra Runcan made an analysis now that we have been doing this for about three years. Together with eight colleagues, they calculated the CO₂ performance (embodied carbon) of eight current designs.
These were designs at various stages, from sketches to completed buildings. One of the eight calculations concerns the temporary Amsterdam Courthouse, a demountable building that has been constructed, disassembled and reassembled elsewhere. With the amount of data we have at our disposal by now, we can make plausible calculations. This provides insight into the consequences of design choices for ourselves, our partners and our clients.
green week at cepezed
knowing where we stand
We believe it is important to know where we stand, because this allows us to anticipate this in the design process. Although the calculation for whole life carbon by 2028 is part of the permit application for public buildings larger than 1000m2, it does not yet appear to be a decisive parameter when weighing up choices. In addition, we have noticed that the MPG calculation (environmental performance of buildings) is often not made until the end of the design process, when design choices have already been made.
We want to design with CO₂ performance in mind at every design stage. The analysed data from the eight projects shows once again that taking CO₂ into account for both embodied and operational carbon from the start of the design process has the greatest effect. Only in this way can we design buildings that are within planetary boundaries.
cepezed's Green Week is intended to inspire each other, share knowledge, learn, collaborate, and celebrate sustainability. On Wednesday evening, we will show a film, on Thursday there will be a guest lecture and four workshops, and throughout the week there will be a temporary library on sustainability.
