HOW INDUSTRIALISED CONSTRUCTION CHAMPIONS COULD DRIVE NET ZERO CARBON
Last year BUILDOFFSITE launched a bold vision: to scale up Industrialised Construction (IC) across the built environment over the next five years. The message to Government was simple: industrialised construction must move from being the exception—to becoming the expectation.
When the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Excellence in the Built Environment launched its 2025 inquiry into building 1.5 million quality homes BUILDOFFSITE gave oral and written evidence. We based our submissions on our Manifesto which was approved by over 50 members representing a cross-section of clients, contractors, designers, manufacturers and suppliers in the IC sector.
CALLS FOR EMBEDDING SUSTAINABILITY
Given we know many members are already delivering good practice the BUILDOFFSITE Manifesto calls for two incentives for embedding sustainability.
The first Government measure could help deliver sustainable building solutions. If financial incentives are offered for carbon reduction they will help improve carbon value, especially for those in the IC industry who are already working towards PAS 2080 accreditation. These measures could support the sector in delivering quantifiable carbon savings in line with the UK’s net-zero ambitions.
Secondly, more Government funding for scaling-up low carbon innovations in the IC sector could make a significant impact on driving net zero carbon. This will probably require some flexibility in repayment scheduling but would enable startups and other SME businesses in particular to develop without having to dilute their ownership structure and potential impact on cash flow.
LIMITED EVIDENCE
However, the fragmented adoption of sustainability benchmarks and the lack of enforcement of PAS 2080 carbon assessments continue to be a barrier to impact.
The CIRIA/University of Cambridge report (2020) on the quantifiable benefits of offsite construction highlighted another significant gap. There are still gaps in empirical data on sustainability. It found that: “Of the environmental impacts, the only one that can be assessed based upon the project information received is construction waste.” Six years on, there has been a step change in the environmental aspects of construction, with numerous clients specifying environmental performance requirements. There are now quite a few exemplar projects with lessons learnt which deserve to be shared.
CHAMPIONS To convince policy makers, BUILDOFFSITE recognises that our ambitions will not be realised without robust evidence demonstrating unequivocally that IC delivers net zero carbon in practice. That is why BUILDOFFSITE and CIRIA are joining forces to assess the net zero carbon benefits of IC methods through new guidance which will showcase the sector’s leaders in delivery.
We are keen to hear from Net Zero Carbon Champions in the IC sector if they have delivered projects with measurable net zero carbon benefits for the housing, commercial, social infrastructure, transport or energy sectors.
A “champion” in this context could be an individual, organisation, or company involved in projects with new build or reuse of volumetric modular systems, new build panelised systems, 3D systems, kit of parts approach, open product platforms or major assemblies. Material types could include timber, precast low carbon concrete, light gauge steel and alternative low carbon materials.
NET ZERO CARBON BENEFITS Benefits could include but are not exclusive to:
· Savings in embodied carbon
· Savings in operational carbon, e.g. less vehicle emissions
· Improving the circular economy
· Increased recycling and reduced waste
· Energy efficiency and bill savings
· Reduced labour costs
· Added social value
The empirical information could be based upon:
· Building EPC/SAP or product EPD sourced information
· Whole life carbon assessments (WLCA)
· Built Environment Carbon Database (BECD)
· LETI (London Energy Transformation Initiative) Embodied Carbon Reporting
· Green Book Live
· Benchmarks published by professional institutes
BUILDOFFSITE will provide case study parameters for each candidate Champion to work within. It will include:
· Project synopsis, sector, material type, function, sector clients etc.
· net cero carbon challenges addressed and benefits achieved
· IC technologies deployed, net zero carbon related metrics (e.g. standard specifications) delivered, lessons learnt and legacy
SUBMISSIONS
Submissions will be assessed by a Project Steering Group (PSG) comprising BUILDOFFSITE members, contributors, funders, regulators and academic experts. Following a rigorous shortlisting process this group will choose which 8-10 case studies are selected and published by CIRIA and BUILDOFFSITE in 2027.
Crucially, this new evidence base will enable the BUILDOFFSITE and Net Zero Carbon Champions to engage Government departments with real-world proof—strengthening the business case that well-designed financial incentives could accelerate net zero delivery through IC.
If you are interested in submitting a case study for shortlisting and/or would like to support the PSG please contact Dirk Vennix (CEO CIRIA) at info@buildoffsite.com.
BUILDOFFSITE MEMBERSHIP
If you are an IC practitioner, help us make Industrialised Construction the expectation and collaborate with us for more impact as a member. Do apply for BUILDOFFSITE membership via https://www.buildoffsite.com/ or get in touch by emailing us.