About

ZCCS concerns the general research area of reducing carbon emissions from human activities, with a specific focus on construction sites. The need to reduce carbon emissions from all aspects of human activity is universally accepted. The construction industry needs to make its contribution towards reducing carbon emissions and has been taking appropriate steps including the zero-carbon homes initiatives and reduction of embodied energy of major construction materials like concrete. However the industry has not focussed sufficiently on reducing carbon emissions from the construction workplace – construction sites.

ZCCS draws attention to construction sites as workplaces from which carbon-reduction gains can be realised and invites exploration of how the investment, operational, change management, technical and other challenges can be addressed over the short, medium and long term to bring about its full realisation.

It is acknowledged that initiatives to reduce carbon emissions in the construction industry like zero-carbon homes/buildings have focussed on the operation phase of construction projects – on things like energy efficiency and green and/or renewable sources of energy – while little attention has, hitherto, been paid to the construction phase of the projects. The construction phase of construction projects presents an underexplored area of investigation that will enable us to realise more reduction in carbon emissions in the construction industry.

Construction sites, as work places, use energy for two main purposes. The first is to provide lighting and/or heating for site offices and other site cabins; and power for office equipment, kettles, microwave ovens, hand tools, mobile telephones and other small electrical appliances. The second is to provide power for construction plant.

Energy used currently on construction sites leads to substantial carbon emissions. At any one time, there are tens of thousands of construction sites in the UK and their energy demand is huge, as is the amount of carbon emissions they produce. This makes construction sites legitimate targets for efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

ZCCS is a goal whose achievement requires involvement of researchers; constructors; clients; designers; government and government agencies; regulators; research and technology organisations; and education providers.

ZCCS is a journey on which all relevant organisations and individuals. The ZCCS journey will terminate when there are no more carbon emissions from construction sites!

ZCCS was initiated by Apollo Tutesigensi at the University of Leeds in 2016.