Building projects are getting greener, latest NBS report finds

Conducted in association with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), NBS’ Sustainable Futures Report has found that the number of net zero projects being commissioned is increasing. 

Six in ten industry professionals (64 per cent) were found to have worked on a net zero project in the past year, in comparison with around half of all respondents in 2022 (49 per cent).

The study, which surveyed almost 600 people working within the built environment, also aims to understand wider sustainability attitudes and protocols in the construction sector.

In total, 43 per cent of respondents said that they had been successful in ‘accomplishing sustainability’ (versus a third back in 2022). This sentiment was felt most strongly amongst clients but was slightly lower for architects (35 per cent).

In addition to reducing the sector’s environmental impact, these findings could show that target-based construction is making a difference. This is alongside other factors such as product availability, and the increasing use of building product data, which the report claims is crucial for architects to ascertain the ‘greenest’ product or material.

However, despite the optimism, NBS said that barriers to sustainability persist. The primary reason was found to be cost, whereas in previous years it was due to a lack of client demand.

The report claims that this is unsurprising given recent external forces such as a stagnating economy, cost of living crisis, and price surges for building products and materials.

Seven in ten firms were found to now measure emissions compared with 54 per cent from the previous report, while those setting carbon reduction goals have also risen by fourteen per cent (76 per cent up from 62). 

The number of companies choosing to offset carbon also increased, as over half of firms reported they now have carbon offsetting strategies in place (53 per cent). In 2021 this figure was much lower at 38 per cent.

Respondents ranked ‘embodied carbon’ as fourth on their sustainability priorities list, while ‘net zero operation carbon’ was ranked first. NBS said that this is likely due to legislation covering operational efficiency but not embodied carbon. When asked to rank the importance of the life cycle analysis stages from environmental product declarations, embodied carbon took first place.

The report also considered the role manufacturers play in helping architects achieve low-carbon outcomes. Nine in ten (93 per cent) of respondents agreed that robust specification is important for achieving sustainable outcomes. Within that, nearly all architects (94 per cent) agreed that manufacturers should supply digital information on the green credentials of their products to boost their chances of specification.

In a statement, Dr. Lee Jones, head of Sustainability at Byggfakta Group, NBS’ parent company, said: “These are welcome figures and show that, whilst much more must be done, the sector is progressively aiming for a sustainable future.

“Certainly, I’d expect to see new significance given to areas like sustainable land use and biodiversity, especially given the recent introduction of new legislation as part of the 2021 Environment Act.

“Going forward, I would like to see legislation around net zero building practices going further, covering embodied carbon as well as operational efficiency. For the industry to truly achieve sustainable outcomes, it needs the government to take a stronger lead, supporting with policy and incentives.”

The NBS ‘Sustainable Futures Report 2024’ can be downloaded and read in full here.