Sustainable Construction - Thinking about the products in buildings

If we talk about sustainable construction, we’re often thinking of the high-level aspects of low-carbon, energy-efficient building design. But as many clients and developers reach for high sustainable targets, their attention is increasingly on the smaller details.

Author: Jarl Hobbs

Jarl Hobbs

This includes issues such as the embedded carbon and lifecycle of products within a building, including building services – right down to the type of pipework being used. It’s estimated that embodied carbon will represent almost half of all new construction emissions all the way to 2050. So this is a crucial issue for anyone involved in the design and delivery of buildings.

Embodied carbon calculations take into account the material used to manufacture a product, as well as the carbon associated with the extraction of the material, the manufacturing process, and transport. Even repair and disposal are considered. It’s a complex area, and CIBSE has recently introduced a new guide (TM65) to help engineers work through the calculations.

Little wonder then, that specifiers are more focused than even on weighing the pros and cons of details such as plastic or metal pipes. CIBSE’s recommendations include selecting MEP plant that has long lifetimes; lower weights; and can be disassembled and recycled. But of course, these factors must be viewed in the context of system performance and efficiency too.

One of the additional challenges is that building services products are constantly in development. For example, plastic pipework has evolved to be able to withstand such high temperatures and pressures than in the past, and many installers prefer to work with this material. Metals such as steel and copper may weigh more, but offer more opportunities for recycling. It’s an additional layer of consideration for buyers, but one that is at the heart of reducing the carbon footprint of the built environment.

Brymec warehouse

At Brymec, we work with our clients to understand exactly what they’re looking for in building services products to help them make the right decisions. One of the reasons we now manufacture our own product ranges is to have complete sight of the products from start to finish.

Liaising closely with our manufacturing partners means that Brymec has a direct influence on the quality of products that we offer, so we can stand by our product performance guarantees. Brymec’s technical support team is, therefore, able to offer the best advice because they know our products inside-out.

A further benefit of making and delivering our own brand is that we can shorten the supply chain by bringing products directly from the manufacturing facility to our Gatwick hub – reducing the embodied carbon of product transportation and storage. Brymec’s transport team has also been working on finding the most efficient routes to deliver products to the site, balancing distance covered with time-efficient drop-offs by our own fleet of vans. This reduces the carbon footprint of our delivery service.

Embodied carbon and the whole lifecycle of products in buildings are going to grow in significance for the construction sector. We are already seeing requirements for whole-life carbon assessments in local regulations such as London Plan 2021. And increasingly, developers are opting to re-use and refurbish buildings rather than demolish and build new.

Specifiers and installers will need to make the right decisions about the products they’re selecting and working with. At Brymec, our aim is to keep our customers well-informed and to help them deliver low-carbon buildings.