Carbon Neutral Design Guide

Nottingham City Council officers are working hard across departments to deliver a Carbon Neutral Supplementary Planning Policy, a Carbon Neutral Design Best Practice guide, including Passive Design Principles and an independent Carbon Neutral Review Panel (CNRP), which will work similarly to our Independent Design Review Panel.

 
 

UKGBC have launched the Whole Life Carbon Roadmap, a common vision and agreed actions for achieving net zero carbon in the construction, operation and demolition of buildings and infrastructure:

Net Zero Whole Life Carbon Roadmap for the Built Environment - UKGBC - UK Green Building Council

What’s it all about?

 
 

Being Carbon Neutral means ‘Having no net release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere’, so, in other words, ‘we take out as much as we put in’.

Chris Common, Nottingham City Council’s Carbon Neutral Policy Manager, said:

“We monitor this by using the Government’s (BEIS) official figures on CO2 emissions releases annually. In 2019 (latest figures), the city’s emissions were 1.1 million tonnes per year. The baseline year to compare to is 2005 when emissions were 1.98 million tonnes. Therefore we have reduced our emissions by 44.2% since then or 53% per capita which is the highest for any core city. However, we need to be reducing our emissions by 22-23% each year now to reach carbon neutral. We are currently reducing at a rate of 3.5%. So plenty to do!”

This design guide, which sets ambitious design parameters, is being piloted in collaboration with a number of agencies, professionals, organisations and community members. We are also working in collaboration with other departments across the council to coordinate all efforts, so it is likely that this section of the DQF is be amended in the future to support and compliment forthcoming policies. The CNDG project is managed and monitored by the DQF Team at Nottingham City Council.

Help us test this guide and develop it further

To participate in piloting or developing this guide, or to send us comments and ideas, please use this link:

Carbon Neutral design process

All projects will be evaluated according to the design stage applicants are in. The design process stages are shown in the design guides that apply to the type of proposal (e.g. Housing Design Guide Design Process).

Applicants must also refer to the Carbon Neutral checklist in our Local Plan policies. Planning officers will assess that the requirements listed have been adhered to.

Nottingham City Council is preparing to work with an independent Carbon Neutral Design Review Panel (CNDRP), who will appraise schemes and offer design advice during the pre-application process. The CNDRP will also review schemes submitted for planning stage as and when necessary, following a similar process as we adopt to review design quality (click here to learn more).

Information needed to facilitate the appraisal process

  • A detailed specification of materials with U values and total carbon content.

  • An energy statement that builds on the energy strategy and sets out exactly how the strategy will be embodied practically within the building.

  • The full process report showing how a minimum of a Very Good BREEAM rating will be achieved.

  • A worked-out design strategy for reducing water use with numerical justification.

  • Where demolitions are proposed, an embodied carbon calculation is required to prove that demolition and new build is the least carbon intensive option (as opposed to retrofit) in the long term.

  • For Major Projects over 1000 m2:

    • Use a reputable Energy Analysis Software (integrated or stand-alone) that is adequate for the type and scale of project to inform decision making during the design process and report values obtained at each stage of the design process or for each design iteration.

    • Provide an energy statement that shows the designed performance of the building and sets out the total heating and cooling energy requirement per annum. This needs to be accompanied by a calculation of how 10% of that requirement will be generated renewably and include drawings to show it physically located.

    • Comply with the Drainage Guidance.

    • Demonstrate that a member of your design team has relevant sustainable construction sector specialisms and is capable of delivering a responsible retrofit of low carbon measures.

Carbon Neutral Design Best Practice

1.1 Engage in a pre-application process with the City Council’s CN Design Review Panel.

1.2 Adhere to the RIBA Sustainable Outcomes Guide (2019).

1.3 Include an Environmental Strategy Document and proof that the BREEAM process has been registered as part of the pre-application/planning application submission. For Major Projects, also include the Certified BREEAM Interim Design Stage Assessment.

1.4 Demonstrate how BREEAM minimum Very Good level will be achieve through design.

1.5 Demonstrate how building, public realm and highways materials used are from a sustainable source, recycled, upcycled, manufactured and transported with minimum carbon emissions and preferable, from a local or national supplier.

1.6 Demonstrate how a passive/fabric-first approach was considered through all the stages of the design process, as opposed to relying on retro-fitting and high tech solutions:

  • Some of the main factors that need to be considered at the early stages of a design are: Building orientation; Building form, massing and fenestration; Followed by: Method of construction, Building materials used in construction, Potential for passive heating and cooling, Potential for renewables, Extent of Daylighting, Autonomy.

  • “Introducing natural cooling with or without fan assistance should be a starting point in arriving at a design solution. Typically for example, introducing air conditioning will increase the energy use in a building by between 35% and 60%” (Architects Climate Action Network, 2021). More information on natural cooling measures can be found at the Optivent website.

NOTE: For green spaces and community resilience criteria please refer to the Wellbeing Design Guide.

After planning stage

In the 2025 uplift to Building Regulations, a requirement to monitor the environmental performance of a completed building is likely to be introduced. If buildings are going to perform as designed, they need to be checked and maintained.

For major projects, the developers might be required to submit the certified final BREEAM Certificate from the Construction Stage Assessment before the building is occupied. This might be included in the planning approval as a condition.