The Net Zero Carbon Building Standard (NZCBS) pilot was launched in September 2024. It provides a consistent approach to defining "net zero carbon" building. and allowing the UK built environment to stay within its UK carbon budget which limits global warming to 1.5o C. This consistency is crucial if we are to start applying statutory carbon standards to buildings.

Price & Myers, together with Max Fordham and Buttress set out to see how achievable the standard was.

Can the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard (UK NZCBS) really be achieved? 

It’s a question we’ve been exploring – first through our joint research report with Buttress and Max Fordham, and more recently in a lively roundtable hosted by Material Source in Manchester. The discussion brought together voices from across the built environment to consider what “achievable” really means.

Here are our key takeaways from the conversation:

Current industry averages for embodied carbon remain almost double the targets projected for 2028. This underlines the urgency of reducing material use and rethinking design from first principles.

The UK doesn’t yet produce enough renewable energy, and buildings can play a key role in changing that - for example, by using roof space for solar generation. The aim is for buildings to contribute to the UK’s overall journey to net zero.

Whole Life Carbon modelling is still largely unregulated, with no formal standards or qualifications. Without care, the industry risks a race to the bottom – lower fees leading to less rigour, more shortcuts, and results that look good on paper but don’t reflect reality. That undermines meaningful progress and the credibility of the data we rely on. The standard provides a consistent approach delivering credibility. 

Regulation is essential to drive real change. Until then, progress will rely on early adopters applying the Standard’s best practice principles and demonstrating what’s possible. The Standard is designed to support those leading the way and to build momentum for wider adoption.

Collaboration and education
Achieving net zero relies on early, integrated teamwork between clients, architects, and engineers. Decisions made at the concept stage often determine most of a building’s lifetime carbon impact.

As built environment specialists, we work with a wide range of materials and specification is critical when it comes to upfront embodied carbon. Engagement with new and innovative materials which actively aim to reduce upfront carbon is both an exciting and important process. We must constantly strive to champion sustainable products within our design process. Marginal gains can often add up to quite sizeable changes in embodied carbon.

Education and awareness are equally vital. Cost-saving choices made without understanding their wider effects can lead to higher embodied carbon, shorter material lifespans, and greater operational costs. Informed decisions at the outset lead to better, more sustainable outcomes.

For Price & Myers, the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard represents both a challenge and an opportunity. We believe that transparent collaboration, design innovation, and evidence-based decision-making are essential to achieving a truly sustainable built environment.

Our demonstrator project (link) showed the challenges in meeting the NZCBS requiring a variety of levers to be pulled to achieve the carbon limits laid out in the standard. However, with a focussed and collaborative approach from the outset the standard can be met.

Read the full roundtable report here.