Construction experts discuss the ways that the building industry can move towards having zero carbon emissions in this panel discussion filmed by Dezeen for Kingspan at the Building Centre in London.
Called Accelerating the Pathway to Net Zero Carbon Buildings, the event was hosted by architectural facade specialist Kingspan and independent research forum New London Architecture.
Moderated by AECOM's Tom Lelyveld, the panel of five speakers drew on academic research and industry experience to discuss how the UK could achieve its target of net-zero emissions by 2050.
A range of arguments were made on the subject, including how retrofitting existing buildings is not as sustainable as people have been led to believe and that timber is not always the solution to decarbonising the built environment. Professor Michael Stacey from the Bartlett School of Architecture was on panel
Panellist Michael Stacey, who is a teaching fellow at the Bartlett School of Architecture, argued that sometimes demolition can be more carbon efficient than retrofitting a building.
Stacey explained that refurbishing a building often means that less than half carbon is retained, with levels sometimes much lower.

"Demolition is sometimes the best option," he stated. "In most cases, reusing existing buildings saves between four and 46 per cent of the carbon."
In some situations it may use less carbon to demolish a building and replace it with an entirely new structure that has had sust...