Momentum and excitement is building on the launch of our Life-cycle carbon footprinting design tool. Anthony is heading to Cairo in September to present the model at the Conference of Non-Conventional Materials and Technologies (NOCMAT) 2010. The paper to be presented, ‘Accounting for the life-cycle carbon emissions of new dwellings in the UK’, will then be included in the conference proceedings.

The NOCMAT conference aims to provide an international forum for information dissemination, discussions and debates on research and practice in a range of sustainable and innovative construction materials and technologies. The aim is to exhibit the model on an international stage to aid in validation, and take suggestions on improvement from academics and professionals in construction from all over the world.

Phlorum embodied carbon tool at Ecobuild 2010

Phlorum will be exhibiting their life-cycle carbon footprint model at Ecobuild. The model has been created as part of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with the University of Brighton, and the project is halfway through its two-year duration. Phlorum won the opportunity to exhibit through a competition run by the Modern Built Environment Knowledge Transfer Network (a subsiduary of CIRIA), which looked to find the most innovative and creative projects aiming to have an effect on sustainability of the construction industry in the UK.

The life-cycle carbon footprint calculator estimates the whole-life carbon emissions associated with new-build residential developments. This includes the carbon embodied within a dwelling, in its materials, methods and techniques of construction, associated with the use of the building, in the operation of its building services, lights and appliances, and emissions resulting from deconstruction or demolition of the building. The model is intended to be used as a design tool to reduce such emissions, promoting alternative materials and methods of construction, especially those with low embodied energy or embodied carbon. Use of the model could halve the amount of carbon embodied within the dwelling, and help with making the dwelling  ‘zero-carbon’ over its lifetime.

To see the model for yourself, come and chat with us at the innovation zone at Ecobuild, from Tuesday 2nd March 2010 to Thursday 4th.