The Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors is calling for embodied carbon budgets to be introduced into all future construction projects with the goal of reducing upfront carbon emissions by at least 40% to achieve Australia’s 2030 carbon emissions targets.
Under the proposal, all new builds and major refurbishments would be required to have an embodied carbon budget integrated into the projects’ construction cost budget from the outset, to ensure the best possible balance between cost and sustainability outcomes.
AIQS Director Simon Squire said: “This approach allows for the development of an optimal balance between cost and sustainability.
“To have effective control of carbon reduction, measurement is imperative.”
As a key member of the project team, a quantity surveyor develops both the initial baseline estimate for the cost and upfront carbon emissions.
Squire continued: “To achieve a 40% reduction in Scope 3 carbon emissions from 2020 levels, it is crucial for the client to establish the right target in the project brief and involve the supply chain early in the design phase with the right professionals.”
Quantity Surveyors are also best placed to monitor and quantify both the carbon and construction budgets throughout the design process.
GBCA Chief Impact Officer Jorge Chapa said: “A quarter of a building’s emissions are locked in on the first day the occupants walk through the front doors.
“Every project team gets just one shot to reduce the upfront carbon of their next building, so we welcome all efforts to ensure carbon reductions are considered at the outset of all projects.”
Squire added: “The construction industry is encountering challenges and recognising the importance of changing course to achieve reductions in upfront carbon emissions.
“It is time for the wider construction industry to balance its view on cost and environment.”