Reduce lab design time.
Further development can be undertaken to explore reducing whole life carbon further.Ideas could include:.
Replacing Comflor with a less processed material which can act as formwork.Adjusting the concrete mix to be flowing rather than self-levelling which would reduce the cement content.Exploring the use of low carbon concrete columns instead of steel ones.. Façade: Opportunities to improve the embodied carbon of facades, including finding alternatives to unitised and curtain walling systems, and their materiality.. Cladding: Elongating a material or components’ lifespan may increase the day one carbon but over the lifetime of the building the whole life carbon can be minimised, where replacement cycles are reduced.. Aluminium procurement: Minimising transport miles is important for materials.
However, the country of origin is also important for materials and components which are heavily manufactured, such as curtain walling.Sometimes the additional transport miles might offset the manufacturing emissions in counties with greener energy grids.. Substructure: Omitting basements should be the starting point of projects.. Raised floor: Reuse existing materials, both from demolition on site but also local existing buildings which are undergoing renovation or demolition.
The industry needs to develop a material database to assist with this, but the more demand the quicker it will happen.. MEP: The LETI benchmarks are underestimated for high end offices.
To meet the LETI benchmarks this means every other element in the building needs to perform better to offset the impact of MEP.The clue is in the name.
“Design for Manufacture and Assembly” is a design approach.Conventional design either has a presumption towards conventional construction or is agnostic regarding the construction method.
Conversely, a DfMA design is developed to be constructed in a particular way..When designing for manufacture and assembly, the designer must find the best way to meet the client’s requirements by considering the most efficient way to manufacture elements of the building and the most efficient way to assemble them on site.