Modern Building Services

MODERN BUILDING SERVICES APRIL 2023 15 FEATURE SMART BUILDINGS I n the aftermath of the pandemic, the regular 9-5 has been disrupted. The migration to working from home allowed businesses to continue functioning under lockdown, but the lifting of restrictions has not prompted a mass-return to the office as some may have expected. Instead, for many companies, hybrid working is here to stay. Not only have building owners contended with a period of relatively empty building stock, but there are also new pressures relating to energy targets and building efficiency that are coming into play. Countries around the world are taking increasingly stringent approaches to decarbonisation in the pursuit of carbon neutrality. Given that buildings can account for 36% of a country’s final energy use, they are a prime target for energy efficiency initiatives. To get on track to Net Zero carbon building stock by 2050, the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that by 2030, direct building CO 2 emissions need to fall by 50 percent and indirect building sector emissions by 60 percent. Reducing emissions In the UK, the government aims to reduce emissions by 78% by 2035 (compared to 1990 levels) as part of its ‘Net Zero by 2050’ ambitions. With this in mind, new environmental regulations relating to the energy efficiency of buildings are being brought in. From 2023 it will be illegal to let any building that has an energy efficiency rating of F or lower, by 2030 this will change to C or lower. According to one estate agency, three-quarters of the UK office market currently falls below 2030’s minimum energy efficiency standards, this accounts for 70% of offices in the capital. The same agency estimates the cost of upgrading a building to these standards to be around £40 per square foot, in addition to the normal cost of refurbishment. While some landlords may be able to absorb this cost, the majority of building owners will find it difficult to fund the necessary upgrades. Retrofitting existing building stock will be essential to meeting the new standards, reducing energy demand and ultimately achieving these ambitious targets. This is because 80% of the UK’s projected 2050 building stock has already been built. Moreover, a vast quantity of the UK’s building stock is relatively old, 39% of non-residential buildings were built before 1970, pre-dating many thermal regulation laws, while only 30% were constructed in the 21st century. This means significant renovation of the country’s building stock is required in order to meet the goal of net-zero by 2050. In keeping with this logic, the UK Green Building Council advises that only smart control systems can deliver the energy performance levels required. In short, the office building as we know it must evolve. It must become smarter. By accelerating the digital It takes more than a desk to attract people into the office these days. In fact, the future of offices is still being determined. Toby Horne of Siemens Financial Services UK looks at the pressures facing office transformation today and the finance solutions that make digitalisation possible. The Future of Offices ➜