We Are Decarbonising!
Background:
The crisis of climate breakdown and biodiversity loss are two of the most serious issues of our time. Buildings and construction play a major part, accounting for nearly 40% of energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions whilst also having a significant impact on our natural habitats.
For everyone working for the built environment, meeting the needs of our society without depleting the world’s resource demands a paradigm shift in our behaviour. Together with our clients, we will need to design, build and maintain buildings, cities and infrastructures as indivisible components of a larger, constantly regenerating and self-sustaining system in balance with the natural world.
Wallace Whittle's Commitment:
Creating sustainable environments is crucial to our approach as a business. We know that we can only fulfill our purpose as designers if we can deliver sustainable and environmentally-conscious buildings that support the wellbeing of all its occupants. This has always been our approach to design, however, we need to do more.
WW are now committed to becoming a net zero carbon business by 2030. This commitment requires us to achieve science-based targets over the next decade in line with what climate science says is necessary. We also believe we have the responsibility to drive change in our industry and, by doing so, we recognize the crucial role WW can play in minimizing the risk climate change poses to the future of our planet.
WW aims to address this commitment from two perspectives:
- Its own operations
- Its influence on the built environment
More specifically, we have outlined the following objectives to meet this commitment:
- WW will monitor and reduce the carbon emissions and water consumption associated with our business operations. Our performance will be disclosed on an annual basis and any residual carbon emission will be offset through approved and verified offset schemes.
- WW will raise awareness of the climate and biodiversity emergencies and the urgent need for action amongst our clients, collaborators and supply chains.
- WW will evaluate all new projects against current net zero carbon guidance and encourage our clients to adopt this approach.
- WW will promote the upgrade of existing buildings, plant and equipment for extended use as alternative to new build and replacement, whenever there is a viable choice.
- WW will promote climate and biodiversity mitigation principles as a key measure of our industry’s success: demonstrated through awards, prizes and listings.
- WW will share its knowledge and research to industry peers through regular conferences and seminars.
- WW will encourage life cycle costing, whole life carbon modelling and post occupancy evaluation as part of the basic scope of work, to reduce both embodied and operational resource use.
- WW will adopt more regenerative design principles in practice, with the aim of providing building services engineering design that achieves the standard of net zero carbon.
- WW will collaborate with clients, architects, engineers, and contractors to further reduce construction waste.
- WW will minimise wasteful use of resources in our building services engineering design, both in quantum and in detail.
