Steel for Life: Headline SLpisotninsgosr
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Jun 20
103 Colmore Row
solutions and products with lower embodied
carbon now.
Alongside constructiondeclares.com other
organisations such as RIBA, LETI (London
Energy Transformation Initiative) and HSBC
have issued guidance to designers on how to
reduce operational and embodied carbon in
the built environment. Key to this advice is a
range of carbon targets for various building
types expressed in kgCO2e/m2 which reduce
in line with the Paris Agreement.
For LETI there are additional targets
which increase and develop circular
thinking and circular systems. This approach
gives targets for newbuild design in 2020
which includes 30% reused content and
50% end of life reusable content. While
these targets are generally ambitious for the
construction sector, steel construction is
uniquely placed to answer both additional
targets. HSBC lists general embodied
carbon figures for a range of current steel
manufacturing routes combined with
additional carbon reducing techniques.
ArcelorMittal says that clearly now with
a range of published targets as guidance,
designers will be working towards them
as part of their immediate Climate Action
commitment.
The company has a clear intent to offer
open and transparent data on its products
and processes to support the design
community in their aim to address the
Climate Emergency. In offering this support
ArcelorMittal has been recognised in the
2019 CDP Climate Change Assessment
with an A- Leadership Level rating for
its corporate transparency and action on
climate change. This puts it among the top
11% within the industry and compares very
favourably with a global average Leadership
Level rating of C.
For day-to-day carbon considerations
ArcelorMittal publishes Environmental
Product Declarations (EPD to BS EN 15804)
which are key to building an accurate carbon
model. Its Histar® rolled sections EPD shows
Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 524
kgCO2e/t (A1 – A3) with an associated
+87.3 kgCO2e/t for Module D and our
Heavy Plates EPD shows a GWP of 2,600
kgCO2e/t (A1 – A3) with an associated
-1,800 kgCO2e/t for Module D. The A1 – A3
boundaries represents the embodied carbon
for the Product Stage (Raw material supply,
Transport, Manufacturing) of the EPD with
Module D representing the benefits beyond
the system boundaries (Reuse-Recovery-
Recycling potential). Module D highlights
steel’s well established and high recovery and
recycling rates at the end of the building’s
useful life.
EPD GWP figures can be put into context
with the 2020 LETI embodied target of
600 kgCO2e/m2 for offices with some basic
estimations. Using Histar® rolled sections
and estimated quantities from the recent
BCSA costing update with BCIS Steelwork
indices for building works material frame
make-up gives the table below.
As well as stating Climate Emergency
targets for designers LETI also promotes an
increasing move towards circular design.
The 2020 target suggest the inclusion of
30% reused content at build stage and
50% reusable content at end of life. Steel
construction is highly circular with potential
for matching reused and reusable aspirations
through design for deconstruction and
bolted connections. SCI P427 “Structural
Steel Reuse” and P428 “Guidance on
Demountable Composite Construction
Systems for UK Practice” will help designers
to consider future targets for reuse and
reusability.
ArcelorMittal
is a headline
sponsor of
Steel for Life
When complete, 103 Colmore Row, at 26 storeys will
be Birmingham’s tallest office building.
Replacing the previous concrete-framed
building with a steel frame including ArcelorMittal’s Histar®
460 columns and clear span cellular beams enabled the
integration of structure and services. Optimised floor zones
reduce building height and so reduce embodied impacts
associated with the building envelope, and minimise
operational impacts associated with heating/cooling.
Other benefits include:
• The light footprint of the steel frame enabled reduced
foundations and associated embodied impacts and
allowed the reuse of existing foundations drawing a
second life out of the sub-structure.
• Clear spans allow flexible use, promote building longevity
and support circularity.
• Faster speed of construction was achieved through offsite
fabrication.
• Lower local environmental impacts due to reduced site
traffic during construction through material reduction.
Steelwork
design based
on (kg/m2)
A1 – A3
Histar®*
kgCO2e/m2
Module D
Histar®*
kgCO2e/m2
Steel Framed to Low Rise Building 55 63 -26
Steel Framed to High Rise Building 90 103 -43
Complex Steel Frame 110 126 -53
Large Span Single Storey, Low Eaves ** 35 40 -17
Large Span Single Storey, High Eaves ** 45 52 -22
* based on BCIS Steelwork Indices 3/S2 for Building Works: 70% sections, 15% SHS, 15% plate
** LETI gives no target values for single span buildings
103 Colmore Row
will be Birmingham's
tallest office block
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/Operational_carbon
/Steel_and_the_circular_economy
/Steel_construction_products#Standard_open_sections
/Life_cycle_assessment_and_embodied_carbon#What_is_embodied_carbon.3F
/Recycling_and_reuse#Steel_and_recycling
/Multi-storey_office_buildings
/Recycling_and_reuse#Reuse
/Multi-storey_office_buildings
/Steel_construction_products#Cellular_beams
/Service_integration
/Facades_and_interfaces
/The_case_for_steel#Take_a_load_off_your_foundations
/Multi-storey_office_buildings#Flexibility_and_adaptability
/Multi-storey_office_buildings#Speed_of_construction
/Fabrication
/constructiondeclares.com