R&R 8958 48 July '16 cc

CO2: Don’t be neutral, be negative!
It is common knowledge that in
order to effectively combat
global warming, we need to
make conscious efforts to
reduce our carbon footprint.
Given that buildings are
accountable for 37% of total UK
greenhouse gas emissions
(according to the Committee on Climate Change) we have a duty as
specifiers, architects and construction professionals to lower this alarming
: GaraRoll White
figure. Joe Bradbury investigates.
Going neutral isn’t enough
Whenever CO2 reduction is discussed, we often talk about becoming
carbon neutral, i.e. designing or retrofitting our building to use only as much
atmospheric CO2 as it emits, leaving existing levels intact. However,
approximately 30 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide is pumped into the
Earth’s atmosphere from power plants, vehicles and various other industrial
sources which are intensively fuelled from the burning fossil fuels. So, whilst
going neutral can certainly help the problem, it’s a mere drop in the ocean in
terms of fighting climate change.
We therefore need to not only focus on reducing how much CO2 we
produce, but also on how we can physically remove it from the air.
Capturing CO2
Allison Dring, head of start-up Elegant Embellishments, has designed a smogeating
façade that is a perfect example of how a building can go a step
further and actually become carbon negative. Described on the BBC, “The
façade is coated with a special paint made from titanium dioxide, a
pollution-fighting technology that is activated by daylight. It absorbs the
fumes generated from traffic and converts them first into nitric acid and
then into calcium nitrate, which is harmless.”
The facade has currently been fitted on the side of a hospital in Mexico City,
where pollution is a massive issue. Since being added to the building, the
innovative façade has allegedly reduced pollution of around 1,000 cars per
day, perhaps resulting in less people needing to visit the hospital in the first
place!
Allison is a staunch advocate of the idea that the materials we build with
should actively give something back to the environment – and so am I.
Putting it to good use
Becoming carbon negative is a two stage process; consuming the CO2 is only
the first part of the solution. What do you do with the CO2 once it has been
captured from the air? Turning it into usable materials or less harmful gasses
is the key to becoming truly carbon negative and actually being an asset to
the environment.
Atmospheric CO2 is one of the biggest issues of the 21st century… however,
as the old adage “one man’s waste is another man’s treasure” implies, it is also
a precious resource! We can use the CO2 taken from the air and convert it
into useful carbon-based products, such as building materials,
pharmaceuticals, fuels and plastics.
Not only do these products help us as an industry, but the very creation of
them absorbs more CO2 than we emit, ergo reducing CO2 in the
atmosphere. Now THAT is a solution.
So in short, when it comes to tackling climate change in the built
environment, be negative!
July / August 2O16 issue 8958 refurb| RENEW 39