Unit title: Environmental Assessment, Management

and Performance In Buildings.

Presentation title: Could new build houses in the UK be

carbon negative in terms of embodied carbon dioxide?

Unit number: B1

Unit date: March 11th 2009

Presentation date: July 7th 2009

Student name: Craig Embleton

Student number: 0750553

Seminar group: 1 (Melissa Taylor)

e-mail: admin@greenfrontier.org

website: www.greenfrontier.org

Could new build houses in the UK be carbon negative in terms of embodied carbon dioxide?

• Introduction

• CO2 balance of a house

• 3 houses

• Summary

• Conclusions

• Questions

Contents

Construction:

• 10% of UK energy.

• 53.2 Megatonnes CO2 (2008).

Problem

Embodied CO2

Solution?

Houses as net CO2 sinks.

Introduction

Embodied CO2

Released processing:

• Plastics, concrete, etc.

Sequestered CO2

Captured in:

• Timber, straw, etc.

CO2 balance = embodied - sequestered CO2

CO2 balance of a house

1. 32 Wentworth Close

CO2 balance 32 Wentworth CloseEmbodied CO2 total = 35.7 tonnes

Sequestered CO2 total = 5.3 tonnes

Balance: 30.4 tonnes CO2

2. Woodland house

CO2 balance woodland houseEmbodied CO2 total = 15 tonnes

Sequestered CO2 total = 32.2 tonnes

Balance: -17.2 tonnes CO2

3. ModCell™ Balehaus™

Individual materials breakdownunavailable

CO2 balances compared

Embodied CO2 Sequestered CO2 CO2 balance

To

nn

es C

O2

Summary

32 Wentworth Close Carbon positive.

Woodland house Carbon negative. Bespoke.

Balehaus™ Carbon negative. Mass production possible.

Conclusion

Yes•Increase straw and local timber.

•Reduce concrete, brick and plastics.

Could new build houses in the UK be carbon negative in terms

of embodied carbon dioxide?

Questions?