28 Aug 2023
Insight
Embodied carbon in building services: It’s complicated – but doable
Building services – which include heating, ventilation and cooling and refrigeration, fire safety, lifts, escalators, and lighting – is one of these elements. Collectively, these services represent up to 15 per cent of upfront carbon in commercial buildings, and around 30 per cent of the whole-of-life embodied carbon. Unlike structural elements, building services are periodically replaced during the life of a building, costing more carbon.
So, it’s an issue we need to tackle. But talk to the stakeholders in this space, and you will hear a common refrain: it’s complicated.
