Embodied Carbon - Updated ICE Database and RICS Building Carbon Database

The Alliance for Sustainable Building Products is pleased to partner with ASBP patron member Circular Ecology and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) to host a topical seminar on embodied carbon in buildings. The purpose of the event is to showcase updated versions of two important resources, the ICE (Inventory of Carbon and Energy) Database developed by Circular Ecology’s Craig Jones, and the new-look RICS Building Carbon Database, formerly the WRAP Embodied Carbon Database.

ICE (Inventory of Carbon and Energy) Database

The ICE (Inventory of Carbon and Energy) Database is a leading embodied energy and carbon database for building materials.

The first version of the ICE database was created by Craig Jones, environment sustainability expert and Director of Circular Ecology, during his former role as a researcher at the University of Bath whilst working for Professor Geoff Hammond, at the Sustainable Energy Research Team (SERT).

The first version was released in 2005 following an extensive literature review and has been updated at periodic intervals. The database has been significantly updated in recent months after receiving funding from Environment Agency, Heathrow and Rail Safety Standards Board.

The free-to-use database has been downloaded by over 20,000 professionals from around the world and it appears in countless reports, journals, books, lectures, embodied energy and carbon footprint calculators.

RICS Building Carbon Database

The RICS Building Carbon Database is an evolution of the WRAP Embodied Carbon Database which was commissioned by WRAP and the UK Green Building Council to capture embodied carbon data for whole buildings. The database is a free-to-use, publicly available resource for building professionals to be able to benchmark their designs to a far greater extent and to more detailed comparative data than was previously available.

The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) launched the new-look database in December 2018 following a period of engagement with industry professionals with support from UKGBC. The refreshed database has both an improved user interface and data resilience. This event provides a fantastic opportunity to hear from RICS on the evolution of this useful tool. 

The updated database compliments RICS' Professional Statement on Whole Life Carbon Assessment for the Built Environment released in November 2017 which set out specific mandatory principles and supporting guidance for the assessment of environmental performance of buildings, aligned to the EN 15978 methodology.

Programme

16:00 - Registration and refreshments

16:30 - Welcome from the Chair - Jane Anderson, ASBP board member, LCA expert and member of Green Construction Board's Resources & Waste Task Group

16:45 - Speaker presentations

• Energy, carbon and sustainable development – Professor Geoff Hammond, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Bath

• Embodied carbon of construction materials: Launching the new Inventory of Carbon & Energy (ICE) Database - Craig Jones, Director, Circular Ecology

• The importance of measuring embodied and whole life carbon in buildings and infrastructure

          - Katherine Ibbotson, Carbon Planning Manager, Environment Agency

          - Mark Edwards, Environmental Assessment Manager – Resources & Construction, Heathrow

          - Lauren Brown, Sustainable Development Specialist, Rail Safety Standards Board

• Whole life carbon guidance: RICS Professional Statement, The New London Plan & RIBA Plan of Work 2019 – Simon Sturgis, Targeting Zero

• The new-look RICS Building Carbon Database – James Fiske, Director of Delivery and Operations and Rosie Rich, Energy Efficiency Consultant, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

18:15 - Final discussion - How can embodied carbon databases make a difference?

18:30 - Drinks, nibbles and networking

19:30 - Close

Tickets

• £10 (inc. VAT) - ASBP/RICS members

• £15 (inc. VAT) - Members of partner organisations*

• £20 (inc. VAT) - General admittance

*AECB, Building Performance Network, Fit for the Future, Good Homes Alliance, Passivhaus Trust, Sustainable Traditional Buildings Alliance, The Green Register, UK Green Building Council.