Risk considerations for architects to be net zero by 2050, Construction design tips, Online property advice
Risk Considerations for Architects to Achieve Net Zero by 2050
22 Nov 2021
Aaron Thatcher:

Author: Aaron Thatcher, Associate Director ? Crisis and Security Consulting, Control Risks
COP 26 dedicated a full day to discussing the impacts of the built environment on climate change ? a welcome and important development, as the built environment accounts for 40% of global emissions. Achieving net zero CO2 emissions by 2050 will require significant planning and design responses for new urban projects and retrofits of existing building stock. This cannot be achieved without well-informed architects.
Throughout millennia and across different civilisations and cultures, it is the architect who envisions and realises new physical environments in the form of buildings and cities to serve human purposes. As of 2018, approximately 55% of the world?s population is urbanised and this figure continues to increase: the UN projects that by 2050, 68% of a global population of 10 billion will live in cities. It is estimated there are 255 billion m² of buildings globally, which grows by 5.5 billion m² each year[i]. This urban growth consumes more resources and has much greater impact on global climate change than at any other time in history. For example, construction of new buildings accounts for over 50 per cent of the global demand for steel[ii]. Construction, expansion, and mainte...