UrbanBuzz
Building sustainable communities
CARBONBUZZ
Project title
Project summary
RIBA Carbonbuzz
CarbonBuzz will raise the understanding of carbon
emissions from buildings by providing an online
communication tool for practices to monitor carbon
emissions, compare and share outcomes and set
realistic targets against nationwide trends. Through
this online forum, practices will be invited to manage
and track their project emissions from design
to operation.
Lead organisation
Aedas
Project coordinator
Judit Kimpian
Contact details
T: 0207 520 8874
judit.kimpian@aedas.com
Website
www.urbanbuzz.org
Project value*
£60,018 grant, plus £63,189
contribution in kind
Start/end dates*
1/12/07 to 30/11/08
Project partners*
UCL; BRE; RIBA; Architect Practices
UrbanBuzz project monitor
Gemma Moore
gemma.moore@ucl.ac.uk
*subject to finalising contract at time of printing
Project information logged through
the CarbonBuzz interface will be hosted in a
‘blind’ database, ensuring project and practice
confidentiality. The anonymous data will be used to
generate statistical trends and feedback on current
practice and suitable analysis protocols for this will
be developed.
Key building features contributing
to carbon emissions such as sector, region, GFA,
occupancy, sustainability ratings, energy demand,
ventilation strategy and renewable technologies will
be recorded in a format that will allow architects to
evaluate their projects against CIBSE benchmarks,
established as the industry standard.
The monitoring scheme will set the framework
for the RIBA to recognise practice commitment to
carbon management. To qualify for the RIBA ‘Carbon
Conscious Practice’ accreditation scheme, practices
will be asked to publish a number of ‘project sheets’
yearly to include design and operational energy use.
These projects will inform future benchmarking,
policy and research, particularly on the alignment
of design predictions and realised operational
emissions, an important concern for the sector.