Learning Net-Zero

When I started Existence Architecture, one aspect of how I wanted to change my practice was to make it more socially engaged with existing communities and I also wanted to get to grips with how to realign my practice with achieving Net Zero for every project, or at the very least knowing how to do it, to conserve existing resources.

I had worked on many projects that aimed to perform well in terms of sustainability and energy use, but the targets were generally set too low, or there was not enough detailed thought on how to use existing technologies and existing resources more responsibly.  Often this was because the big decisions weren’t considered early enough, or that conflicting demands limited ambitions. Even for projects that did aim high in terms of BREEAM and NABERS, Net Zero always seemed allusive.  I felt I needed to learn about how to get the right strategic decisions made and to have the right knowledge to guide the design team, rather than passively accept the compromised aspirations.

It was this that led me to follow a link to ACAN (Architects Climate Action Network) and found that they and Architects Declare (AD) had been holding seminars and meetings all year, tackling how we practice, the circular economy at every stage of the project and campaigns for climate literacy.  When I attended their Practice Action meeting recently, it became clear that they were not only tackling big climate topics but also looking at the detail, what was achievable for every project and what small changes can be made to have a big effect.

 It really brought home to me how much there was for me to still learn and that was the whole purpose of ACAN; a network for information and change. Since then, I joined on a seminar on retrofit for existing and listed buildings, showing what can be achieved even with considerable material restrictions, due to heritage or practicality.  Even from one talk, it’s obvious that there is so much that can be done to use less carbon-heavy materials such as cement and options out there which will make a difference to the environment and also reduce energy bills for existing buildings. Check out some of the YouTube videos ACAN has produced below, I’m working through them now.    

 https://www.youtube.com/ArchitectsClimateActionNetwork