Sustainability Credential Portfolio

"Design for our future. Be climate positive." - Climate Positive Design 

In a semester 1 assignment for our Sustainable Technology 3 module, we had to create a sustainability credential portfolio that looked at the embodied carbon and carbon footprint of a design. We looked at the design which we had created for our Design Projects 3 module, Alney Island in Gloucester. For this assignment, we were shown the climate-positive design toolkit, in which we could outline the area of our site and input which materials we were using within the space. The toolkit then calculates the carbon footprint for the design.

As shown in the image above my initial design would take 252 years to get to carbon positive. This means that the amount of carbon emitted and sequestered when creating the space would have a negative impact on the environment. With over 14,000 mT of CO2 emitted and over 2,000 mT of CO2 sequestered.

The toolkit also provided a breakdown of the impact each material has on the environment and provided alternatives for each material that creates the most carbon emissions. For example, instead of wooden decking, loose aggregate paving with stone edging was suggested. As well as other tips such as including more trees, wetlands or shrubs and turning lawns into no-mow lawns. 

As shown above, the design with the suggested changes would now only take 3 years to positive. The carbon impact has been significantly reduced, with a total of 249 years in the difference between the two designs in relation to years positive, and over 14,000 kg difference in the total carbon impact. 

Whilst the carbon footprint of a design is an important aspect, it is also important to acknowledge sustainable alternatives for hard materials. For example, the suggestion to change from wooden decking to loose aggregate now provides that space with a porous service that would not need major drainage systems. 

One issue with the toolkit is that the type of hard materials is quite limited. However, using the programme was a great way to see the impact a design can have on the world and encourages designers to think about alternative materials that would have less impact. I think using this toolkit in the future, and displaying the differences to climates like the layout above would be a good way to encourage people to think about the impact a space can have on the environment, especially in the face of climate change.