Buildings account for around 40% of all CO2 emissions and any carbon reduction strategy has to address this in order to deliver real change.

Legislation is driving the low and zero carbon agenda across all sectors and there is a legally binding target for 15% of UK energy to come from renewables by 2020. Wales has set itself a 3% year on year target for carbon reduction.

UK Building Regulations: Part L

Legislations such as Part L 2010 of the UK Building Regulations are designed to accelerate the carbon reduction program. There are a significant number of potential solutions within the renewables area. However, relatively few provide attractive paybacks without subsidy or provide design guidance to aid uptake of these technologies within a holistic system.

In order to make a significant impact on CO2 emissions, appropriate solutions for the existing building stock and new build need to be developed.

Low and zero carbon solutions for the built environment

Funded by Tata Steel, the Low Carbon Research Institute (LCRI) and the Welsh Government, the focus of then Sustainable Building Envelope Centre (SBEC) is on accelerating the development of low and zero carbon solutions for the built environment using steel in combination with other materials.

SBEC VISION

Our vision is to transform the role of the building envelope and fabric, from one of passive fuel and energy conservation to that of active generation of renewable energy, including storage, distribution and management.

This will be done in partnership with enabling building services and technologies to deliver environmentally sustainable and low to zero carbon buildings.