Why sustainability fails without structural engineers

New sustainability regulations are continually introduced to the UK built environment. The biodiversity net gain requirements mandated by the Environment Act 2021 were swiftly followed by the Energy Act 2023, which supports our transition to net zero. The Future Homes Standard 2025, to be introduced later this year, will add further reductions in new-build carbon emissions (75-80%), placing ever-rising compliance pressures on constructors and developers.

A nuanced reality

The issue is that, whilst – in most cases – green ambition is there on paper, real-world outcomes often fall short, potentially leaving developers exposed. Take Greenwich Peninsula’s Design District in London, for instance. The one-hectare site, opened in 2021, promised net zero and low-to-zero operational carbon by 2030. Yet, the only sign of delivery lies in several buildings on site achieving BEEAM Excellent status. Data on actual energy use remains hidden from the public, with real-world outcomes undermined by the removal or disrepair of key green features, like greywater recycling and rooftop wetlands, included in original architect plans.

What’s going wrong?

Most developers care and want to protect the environment – and their reputations. Indeed, with 70% of construction projects incorporating sustainability targets, according to a 2024 NSB report, it’s clear that failures typically stem, not from apathy, but from the ways in which projects are actually carried out.

Architects are usually responsible for introducing green elements and materials in plans. However, everything from alternative energy sources and biophilic concepts to natural ventilation and zero-emission batteries can be easily phased out later down the line, as developers make compromises design teams have little control over. Introducing structural engineers, not just as early-stage design collaborators but as vital project leads can help to overcome this problem.

How can structural engineers help?

Not only can structural engineers help to anticipate problems early on, but their expertise can also bridge the gap between ambition and reality by ensuring there’s a clear, feasible path towards incorporating the green features set out by architects and planners in RIBA stages 1 to 3. With design still fluid in these early stages, the right data-backed knowledge can help to ensure that every decision, from preferred floor spans and structural materials to the façade systems chosen, actively support firms’ green goals.

This includes the significant bearing that structural engineering teams can have on embodied carbon, which is often miscalculated or overlooked. Unlike operational emissions generated when heating, cooling and powering finished developments, embodied carbon, generated throughout the development’s complete lifetime, can prove more complex. Not only do processes such as material extraction, manufacturing and transportation need to be taken into account, but companies must also factor the emissions released from these materials over the years. This is in addition to any emissions produced during end-of-life disposal.

With the World Green Building Council estimating that up to 50% of a building’s total lifetime emissions come from embodied carbon, it’s clear that development firms could benefit from in-depth structural engineering knowledge throughout the entire construction process, from ideation through to completion and even sunset.

A pressing priority

The forthcoming UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard – led by the UK Green Building Council, the Low Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI), and the Royal Institute of British Architects – makes the role of the engineer even more imperative. The new standard will require projects to deliver clear, consistent reductions in both operational and embodied carbon, turning what once were loose sustainability targets into a meticulously measured obligation. Structural engineers bring the data and knowledge needed to ensure real-world impact, empowering the architectural and design teams they work alongside with clear insight and tangible performance data.

Solving the sector’s skills crisis?

Making structural engineers mandatory members of planning and construction teams could also help to tackle the sector’s ongoing skills crisis. According to the Construction Industry Training Board, the UK will need 250,000+ additional workers by 2028 to meet demand. However, employers are struggling to recruit the right talent, particularly when it comes to retrofit and net zero. Because structural engineers are already using digital tools like Building Information Modelling (BIM) and digital twins (real-time virtual project replicas) in their own work, their involvement could help to address that gap, opening up new avenues for companies to optimise things like building performance and material use.

Structural engineer involvement could likewise help to reshape future vacancies across the built environment, potentially helping to attract the next generation of skilled professionals. The more digital capabilities and sustainability interests become integral to construction, the more likely the sector is to attract young, emerging talent.

Vital team members

Structural engineers have long played a critical part in early development and design, not only assessing site conditions prior to construction, but also working with other professionals to ensure foundational structures are stable. This involvement must now be ramped up to allow construction leaders to deliver much-needed green-first projects that actually stand up to rising climate standards.

The buildings and infrastructure introduced over the next 25 years will likely determine the UK’s economic, social and environmental future. Such significant importance can only be addressed though reputable frameworks, where engineers lead alongside design and development teams to build longevity and glowing environmental standards into each and every project, from the ground up.

Ultimately, if the industry wants sustainability to hold up in practice, it must first commit to the right foundational support.

Article submitted by Kalliopi Florides, Director of premier structural engineering firm, Kitall

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