Understanding Your Home's Invisible Carbon Footprint
We talk a lot about energy efficiency in homes, and rightly so. Our articles on Air Source Heat Pumps and The Value of Insulation highlight how crucial it is to reduce the energy we use day-to-day – what we call 'operational carbon'. But there's a bigger picture: the hidden impact of your home, long before you even move in.
This is Embodied Carbon and it's a key focus for us in our practice. It's the environmental footprint from a building's materials and construction throughout its lifecycle, from raw material extraction to disposal. As new homes become increasingly energy-efficient in operation, embodied carbon's proportion of a building's total carbon footprint is growing.
Essentially Embodied Carbon is how much carbon a certain material has caused to be released into the atmosphere to get it onto site and into your building. As well as the extraction of the material itself, this also includes transportation costs, wastage, and the energy consumed during its manufacturing process.
It's also crucial to design materials for longevity. This means creating designs that stand the test of time, rather than just chasing fleeting trends. It also involves a structural approach that allows the building to adapt as needs change. Essentially, a building with low embodied carbon offers little benefit if it's torn down and rebuilt frequently, negating the positive impact of using low-energy materials compared to one that lasts for centuries.
Why Embodied Carbon Matters Now More Than Ever
The push to reduce embodied carbon is urgent. To hit the UK's net-zero target by 2050, drastically cutting emissions from construction is non-negotiable. While the upcoming Future Homes Standard focuses on day-to-day energy use, there's a strong consensus across the industry – including our practice – that embodied carbon must soon be formally regulated. We're already designing with this future in mind.
Our director Ben Powell says, ‘Whilst we have a moral obligation to work this way, in fact we think this is a common sense approach given the huge benefits to our clients of using products like timber, and the relatively low uplift in cost when designed correctly.’ Read more about this in our Guide to Timber Frame Extensions.
Our Approach to Reducing Embodied Carbon
At Studio Manifest, we're committed to minimising embodied carbon in residential projects as outlined in our Sustainability Manifesto.
One example of how we are doing this is through our innovative timber frame and wood fibre construction methodology. By carefully selecting natural, breathable, and, where possible, recycled materials, we aim to significantly reduce the total embodied carbon in most of our projects compared to traditional brick and block build methods.
Flourish House in Islington, London, demonstrates our innovative timber frame and wood fibre construction methodology
For example, in Flourish House, our use of natural insulation materials not only ensured the home's long-term environmental performance but also cut its total embodied carbon by around 50%, significantly extending the building’s lifespan.
Beyond material choice, we also focus on:
Efficient Design: We optimise structures to use less material overall, reducing waste.
Reuse and Renovation: We actively seek opportunities to reuse existing materials where possible, championing the circular reuse of materials to minimise waste and environmental impact.
Modular Construction: Building components off-site reduces waste and improves material efficiency.
Design for Disassembly: We plan for a building's entire lifecycle, designing components so they can be easily deconstructed and reused or recycled, rather than ending up as waste.
Choosing us as your architects for your next renovation, retrofit, or extension means investing in a sensible long-term choice for both your home and the environment. The future of sustainable homes isn't just about energy bills; it's about the invisible carbon embodied in their very fabric. By prioritising low-carbon construction methods and tracking our impact, we're building homes that are truly future-proof, reducing their environmental footprint from the ground up.
