Welcome to another week of Shaken Not Burned! 

Most people don’t really think about the environmental impact of buildings. We live, work, meet friends and family, shop, play and watch sports, and do countless everyday activities within the spaces they provide. Yet buildings tend to fade into the background of daily life, as though their design, construction and operation sit outside the choices that shape climate and environmental outcomes.

In reality, the built environment plays a significant role in the global climate picture. Buildings account for roughly 39% of global energy-related carbon emissions. Around 28% comes from operational emissions – the energy used to heat, cool and power buildings – while another 11% comes from embodied carbon in construction materials and building processes. At the same time, reducing those emissions often lowers energy use and operating costs.

In this week’s episode, Felicia speaks to Drew Shula, founder and CEO of sustainability consulting firm Verdical Group, which works with developers, architects and building owners to improve the environmental performance of projects across the construction sector.

Drew argues that while climate change is often discussed at a global level, many of the decisions that shape emissions actually happen much closer to home, inside planning offices, design studios and construction projects. Building standards, energy modelling, material choices and city regulations can quietly determine how much energy a building uses for decades.

The scale of the built environment means it represents both a challenge and an opportunity. Every new building locks in a set of assumptions about energy, materials and performance, but those same design decisions also create one of the most practical routes for reducing emissions while improving efficiency and long-term operating costs.

Further reading:

• UNEP and Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction: Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction

• Architecture 2030: Why the built environment matters for climate

• Verdical Group: Building Modelling: Why, Where, Why and How

• The Carbon Leadership Forum: Embodied Carbon in Building Systems

• C40 Cities: Why Cities Are Leading the Way on Green Buildings

• Time: Why Cities Are the Future of Climate Action

• UN’s Climate Counts Campaign

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