Whole Life Carbon
We are systems thinkers. We make our design choices measurable, including using our own tool. This way, we know exactly what impact we're making and where we can make adjustments for an even more sustainable result. That's why we develop every design from start to finish. This ensures we adhere to the principles we agreed upon beforehand throughout the construction process and anchor sustainability.
Whole Life Carbon (WLC) is the calculation that captures all CO₂ and other greenhouse gas emissions a building emits throughout its construction and lifespan, from design to demolition, and from material selection to energy consumption. Measuring is knowing. Only when you know the emissions costs of a building (or its renovation or demolition) can you make responsible choices. For example, manufacturing triple glazing requires significantly more CO₂ than manufacturing double glazing, but it saves energy to keep a building warm or cool. We calculate in advance whether these additional CO₂ emissions outweigh the energy savings over the entire life cycle of a building.
Only when you know what a building costs in terms of emissions can you make responsible choices
WLC consists of two major categories: so-called embedded emissions and use emissions. Embedded emissions are those emissions that occur before and during construction. These emissions originate from materials and construction processes, such as the extraction of raw materials, the production of building materials like concrete, steel, glass, wood, and plastic, the transport of building materials to and from the construction site, the construction activities themselves (machinery, energy, waste), maintenance, renovation, and replacement of materials, and finally, demolition, recycling, or waste processing at the end of a building's lifespan.
This is different for user emissions. These are emissions released during the building's use. Think of heating, cooling, ventilation, hot water, lighting, and appliances. The sum of these two categories represents the total climate impact of a building over its entire lifespan, usually calculated over about fifty to sixty years.
We are working towards nature-inclusive buildings, made from renewable, bio-based materials that are fully recyclable
We are committed to construction that doesn't produce harmful residues or pollution. We are working towards nature-inclusive buildings made from renewable, bio-based materials that are fully recyclable. Such buildings have green, blue, or brown roofs and facades that attract insects and birds. They use rainwater, retain water on the roof during downpours, and thus relieve the burden on the sewer system. They run on solar or wind energy and utilize thermal energy storage.
