Low Carbon Office Design Checklist

Define your project's low carbon objectives

• Review your organisation’s carbon targets and assess how this project can contribute to reducing emissions
• Where possible, decide on the carbon targets you want to achieve
• Consider whether your business needs a full fit out or whether your plans can be scaled down to reduce embodied carbon impact
• Hold stakeholder forums to discuss objectives and requirements to ensure you have robust and achievable carbon targets
• Map out the expectations of your investors, customers and staff
• Consider your property strategy and determine how reducing carbon emissions will work alongside your plans
• Communicate to your key decision makers the benefits of reducing carbon in your property portfolio
• Set out a clear project brief which includes your carbon targets and define responsibilities to achieve these targets
• If applicable, set an embodied carbon budget
• If applicable, set an operational carbon target

Assess potential sites

• Obtain existing Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs), though these likely won’t be the best measure of operational energy requirements
• Ensure the building meets the minimum EPC rating for new tenancies which is currently a rating of E. As of April 2023 all existing leases must be at minimum a rating of E
• Check if your potential site has an environmental rating, such as BREEAM, LEED or SKA as this will be an indication of a better performing building when it comes to low carbon
• Where possible, get an estimate of the operational CO2 emissions of your potential sites
• Estimate the embodied carbon impact of fitting out your potential sites
• Assess the percentage difference in CO2 emissions between potential sites
• Do your potential sites have existing on-site renewable sources of energy and heating, including a local district heating system?
• Consider the viability for passive design measures of your potential sites
  • Measure the building’s solar gain to assess the impact on energy use
  • Assess the orientation of the space and how effectively daylight can be used to reduce artificial lighting
  • Assess the viability for natural ventilation of the potential sites

• Determine whether HVAC systems will need to be replaced – consider both the embodied and operational impact
• Assess the effectiveness of any existing building management system which monitors and controls energy use
• Determine if there is sufficient sub-metering in place to measure and report energy use
• Assess whether transport links are sufficient to support your staff in making low carbon commuter choices
• Assess whether there are amenities close by including gyms, shops and green spaces that reduce the need for use of transport
• Determine if there is space for bicycle racks and showers to support your staff who would like to cycle to work
• Assess the viability for additional low carbon technologies within the potential sites