In the built environment, understanding the impact of design choices on embodied carbon is essential in addressing the climate crisis and contributing to the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. How can we tackle embodied carbon early in a project (RIBA Stage 0/1) to achieve the greatest reduction? It’s important to have the tools to inform the initial brief and design decisions in real time before committing to a final solution. This will allow for data-driven design that balances sustainability, cost, and feasibility.
Solution Overview
The bespoke, data-driven analysis tool, Carbon.AKT, optimises designs to reduce embodied carbon from the outset of a project. It uses embodied carbon as a key driver and allows calculations for various structural building options with just a site outline or a simple floor plan. The speed of these calculations helps designers make informed decisions and compare alternatives.
Carbon.AKT is a custom parametric software developed by AKT II’s engineers to offer a detailed analysis of carbon use. It breaks down the building’s carbon impact into three main contributors: substructure, superstructure, and façade. This tool supports decision-making from the very beginning of the design process, through the sketch design phase, and into the detailed design stage.
During the sketch design phase, the tool enables users to easily and simultaneously adjust the building’s orientation, size, and form, with flexible grids and interchangeable materials. This allows for the seamless exploration of these key parameters, helping to balance architectural vision, stakeholder needs, and planning requirements, all while being guided by top-tier carbon estimates. Clients and design teams can set clear building goals and carbon targets early on, tracking the project’s progress in real-time to ensure sustainability goals are met.
As the built environment works toward achieving net-zero carbon by 2050, Carbon.AKT helps users design smartly from the start, optimising designs and quickly finding a balance between sustainability needs, cost, and project feasibility.
Carbon.AKT, developed in-house, initially cost about £120k to create and is continuously updated to stay aligned with industry changes. It is being used in all new AKT II projects to assess embodied carbon and guide clients and teams from the early stages of design.
Case Study
Current projects using Carbon.AKT are live and under NDA. So far, the tool has enabled AKT II to easily compare multiple options and provide the design team with more detailed insights into where embodied carbon exists. Carbon.AKT has also helped identify ways to improve carbon performance by focusing on specific industry products with lower Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), allowing AKT II to go beyond the baseline.
