Target Zero is a programme of work, funded by the BCSA and Corus to provide guidance on the design and construction of sustainable, low and zero carbon buildings in the UK.  Five non-domestic building types are being analysed: a school, a distribution warehouse, an out-of-town supermarket, a medium-to-high rise office and a mixed-use building.

The first Target Zero guidance report on a secondary school building has now been produced.

The Target Zero School is based on a recently constructed building, Christ the King Centre for Learning secondary school in Knowsley, Merseyside. The key findings from the report are:

• The steel composite structure had a 14% lower embodied energy content than the alternative in situ reinforced concrete flat slab structure;
• The likely 2010 Part L compliance target of reducing operational carbon emissions by 25% is achievable using energy efficiency measures alone and without any appreciable additional capital costs;
• The most cost-effective routes to true zero operation is to use a combination of on-site energy efficiency measures along with off-site and on-site LZC technologies.

To view a summary of the report, click here (note that to download the full report, you’ll need to register)