Nestled amongst the charming streets of Yarraville the heritage facade of this weatherboard cottage is emblematic of the historical context of the area. This address is about to be transformed into a contemporary family home that aims to reduce operational embodied carbon by employing passive house principles and showcase how early engagement with suppliers can lead to more sustainable outcomes.
Affordable, versatile, durable and easy to maintain - no wonder concrete is the most consumed substance on the planet, after water. This omnipresent material undeniably has laid solid grounds for modern civilization and its production is expected to grow to 5.5 billion tons by 2050 - particularly as 60% of the built environment that will be around then is yet to be built.
Meanwhile, however, that other great global crisis – climate change – has not gone away. While COVID-19 has taken centre stage for the past 18 months or so, things like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s most recent report have occasionally (and dramatically) returned our attention to climate.
Jarrod Reedie
ECOPact, a low carbon concrete product range, has been unveiled this week by Holcim. The product is able to reduce the embodied carbon of buildings, infrastructure and homes.
With 20% of Australia’s annual greenhouse gas emissions derived from the construction industry, sourcing sustainable building materials has become increasingly important. ECOPact is able to reduce embodied carbon by 30-60 percent, compared to the Australian National Life Cycle Inventory Database basecase.
The ECOPact range includes the option to achieve carbon neutrality. ECOPactZERO uses accredited carbon offsets through Climate Active to reduce embodied carbon by 100%. Other products in the range are able to also significantly reduce embodied carbon emissions of constructions.