Friday 23 February 2024
The latest version of the Benchmark Database adds carbon to its well-established cost reporting functionality. The embodied carbon of construction projects has become of increasing interest to clients and supply chain actors in recent years. It has grown from a relatively obscure field to the basis for funding conditions in current Scottish Government programmes, such as the Learning Estate Investment Programme. Embodied carbon is also signalled as a key candidate for future regulation in: Scotland’s Circular Economy and Waste Route Map to 2030. There is a clear need for better tools and databases for quantifying and comparing projects’ embodied carbon.
This release of the Benchmark Database allows project owners to view their carbon and cost data alongside that of comparable projects. The carbon data input sheets are organised very similarly to the more familiar cost sheets. They include all the same categories of building elements and fully comply with the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors’ (RICS) recommended approach for accounting for carbon in construction projects: Professional Statement on Whole Life Carbon assessment for the built environment.
The Benchmark Database is designed for compatibility with other tools, such as:
Project owners are encouraged to share their embodied carbon data nationally through BECD.