www.buildingsandcities.org/insights/commentaries/messages-cop31.html
Two Key Messages for COP31
Watch 2 videos with our messages to COP31 - based on 2 recent peer-reviewed briefing notes for policymakers
Space heating and cooling in NDCs 4.0: from commitment to action
Buildings increasingly feature in national climate plans; however, clear emissions reduction targets are often missing. Thomas Lützkendorf (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) sets out how the next Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs 4.0) can address this gap, with better accounting of heating and cooling emissions, country-specific targets and roadmaps for implementation.
Read the accompanying peer-reviewed briefing note, "Building space heating and cooling in NDCs 4.0", for a staged approach to developing and monitoring these commitments.
Retrofit realism: delivering affordable, low-carbon homes
Retrofitting homes must deliver comfort and affordability alongside carbon savings. Where should investment go first? From heat pumps in colder regions to passive cooling in warmer climates, Nick Eyre (University of Oxford) discusses practical priorities for existing homes. He also considers what stands in the way of widespread adoption, including funding, workforce skills and household confidence.
The presentation draws on "Retrofit realism: affordable low-carbon policies for existing homes", a peer-reviewed briefing note outlining policy options for different regions.
Latest Peer-Reviewed Journal Content
Timing matters: life cycle embodied GHG emissions of circular building strategies
A Wöhler, L Rosado, H Abu Ghaida, H Wallbaum & A Hollberg
Scaling up retrofit: regional challenges and opportunities for MMC
H Dörr, P Späth & I Goñi
Design as communicative activity: implications for sustainability assessment software
T Säwén, A Sasic Kalagasidis & A Hollberg
Indoor temperature and office work performance in a temperate climate
T Kramer & S Schiavon
Moving homes and energy poverty: residents’ concerns, capabilities and responses
M Jalas, J Rinkinen, S Numminen & E Valkealahti
Reference study for biogenic carbon storage in the residential building stock
O Iliescu, I Talvitie, A Amiri & S Junnila
Building space heating and cooling in NDCs 4.0
T P Lützkendorf
Building component reuse as sociomaterial interaction: lessons from precast concrete
J Uusikartano, L Alkki & V Capitani
Validating national reuse indicators from regional demolition data: a Swedish example
F Ericsson, K Mjörnell & U Janson
Climate change risk and decision-making [editorial]
S Foxell & I Cooper
Technologies of reconstruction [editorial]
P Tombesi
Urban form metrics for building occupancy modelling: applications and impacts
D Reiter, M Jehling & R Hecht
Retrofit realism: affordable low-carbon policies for existing homes
N Eyre & R Khosla
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Latest Commentaries
Two Key Messages for COP31
Space Heating & Cooling in NDCs 4.0: Nationally Determined Constributions (NDCs) are at the heart of the UNFCCC Paris Agreement. NDCs embody each country's efforts to reduce their emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. So it is essential to include the building stock (particularly space heating and cooling) in the next NDCs.
Realistic Retrofit: Residential buildings are major users of energy and emitters of CO2. What constitutes realistic retrofit? Affordable, practical low-carbon policies for homes are described for both the Global North and Global South.
Thomas Lützkendorf and Nick Eyre send their messages to COP31: prioritise the building stock in NDCs and implement policies for practical retrofit. Watch their videos - for links to the videos click on "More" below:
Practitioners’ Views of POE
Post-occupancy evaluation (POE) is widely valued but weakly embedded in practice. Ant Marsh, Kate van Someren, Lara Clarke and Tom Randall (Arup Building Performance and Commissioning Services) explain the findings from a survey and focus groups with UK construction industry practitioners. They identified fragmented responsibility, split commercial incentives and a persistent fear of “bad news”. Making POE routine requires a shift from producing reports to a focus on improving outcomes by owning and acting on learning.