Environmental certification schemes for buildings overlook embodied carbon and encourage architects to add unnecessary "systems and gizmos" to achieve high ratings, according to architect Andrew Waugh.
Schemes such as BREEAM and LEED focus overwhelmingly on operational emissions rather than emissions from the construction supply chain, Waugh argued.
However, embodied carbon emissions make up around half of all emissions from buildings. The percentage is rising as buildings become more energy-efficient and renewable energy becomes more prevalent.
"The certification systems still focus on operational carbon," said Waugh, who is founding director of London architecture studio Waugh Thistleton Architects and a member of the steering committee of climate action network Architects Declare. "They're meaningless. They are awards that prop up the existing systems."
BREEAM and LEED don't focus on embodied carbon
To achieve BREEAM's highest Outstanding rating, a building needs 85 credits, Waugh said. But only nine or ten credits are available for approaches that tackle embodied carbon, he claimed.
To achieve Platinum under the LEED system, a building needs 80 points. But only three are available for embodied carbon, according to Waugh.
Above: Foster + Partners' Bloomberg building is an example of a project that prioritises operational carbon over embodied carbon. Top: Waugh Thistleton Architects founder Andrew Waugh
Waugh said that UK regulations covering...