Hoare Lea Open search Open menu SHARE: Taking a closer look at carbon. I got my first taste of the construction industry… …working on building sites while finishing my A-Levels. I then worked at an architectural practice and studied Architectural Technology part time. Over time, I became increasingly interested in the sustainability and climate change aspects of building design. After completing my BSc, I completed an MSc in Architecture (Advanced Environmental & Energy Studies) at the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales, which truly was life changing. I then lived in Germany… …tutoring on the Future Cities course for the Institut für Kreative Nachhaltigkeit (Institute for Creative Sustainability), which brings together architects, planners, sociologists, artists, community developers, gardeners, and educators with the aim to create a transformative social ecology. One of my most memorable projects… …was developing a circular economy audit for the Houses of Parliament Northern Estates Project. This involved surveying several buildings around the Palace of Westminster and finding ways to design out waste production and maximise materials reuse. It reinforced to me that clear sustainability and carbon reduction targets must appear in the project brief to ensure all stakeholders are engaged. I’ve now been at Hoare Lea… …for three months. I’m based out of Glasgow and I lead whole life carbon assessment across the Sustainability group. I’ve been enjoying getting stuck into an interesting range of projects and getting our teams organised and aligned on whole life carbon. Working in Whole Life Carbon (WLC)… …is both challenging and exciting. A WLC assessment is the calculation of carbon and environmental impacts over the entire lifecycle of buildings or infrastructure. This includes the initial manufacture, the sourcing of materials, the construction and the end-of-life impacts if the building was to be demolished. These assessments reveal where the carbon hotspots are in a project and help to drive the adoption of lower carbon options, focusing efforts where the greatest opportunities lie. WLC is becoming increasingly important… ….as our industry tackles the climate emergency and our contribution to it. For the last 15 years, the focus on cutting carbon has predominantly been about reducing energy usage but… …if we’re to avoid the worst impacts of climate change we need to cut carbon emissions from all sources, and the embodied carbon of building can be around half of their total carbon footprint. In the future… …our industry needs to use more biologically based materials like timber, stone and clay. Concrete and steel manufacturing has huge greenhouse gas emissions. Until these industries decarbonise their production, substituting them for alternatives is the best way to cut embodied carbon. There are increasing numbers of commercially available low carbon building materials, but our biggest challenge may be persuading conservative clients and project teams to use them. In my spare time… …I enjoy music, films and travel. I also like to cycle and take part in Triathlons, but in November, I’m due to become a father, so all of this is about to change! RELATED ARTICLES Our People: Sam Wilkinson. CATEGORY: PEOPLE OUR PEOPLE: SAM WILKINSON. Event: Practical Pathways to Net Zero Buildings. CATEGORY: PEOPLE EVENT: PRACTICAL PATHWAYS TO NET ZERO BUILDINGS. Footer Hoare Lea News & events Memberships & awards Corporate Responsibility Hoare Lea fileshare Legal Human Trafficking Statement Return to office working: COVID-19 CONTACT US Hello@hoarelea.com Twitter Linkedin Instagram STAY UP TO DATE SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST Email Submit Tick to accept the Terms & Conditions and to consent to receiving marketing communications and the latest news from Hoare Lea. Site by Mr B & Friends