![\"\"](\"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/bbc_140820_2.png\")
Footage of buildings being flattened in a noisy demolition may be a popular feature of local TV news reports, but architects say such structures should be protected – to fight climate change, reports the BBC on recent evidence given to the Commons Environmental Audit Committee (EAC).<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
BBC News writes:<\/p>\n
They say property owners should be incentivised to upgrade draughty buildings, not just knock them down.<\/p>\n
That is because so much carbon is emitted by creating the steel, cement and bricks for new buildings.<\/p>\n
The campaign by the Architects\u2019 Journal is backed by 14 Stirling Prize winners<\/p>\n
In the past there was debate about whether it was better for the climate to demolish an old energy-hungry building and build a well-insulated replacement.<\/p>\n
But this is now widely considered a serious mistake because of the amount of carbon emitted during the construction of the new building.<\/p>\n
The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) estimates that 35% of the lifecycle carbon from a typical office development is emitted before the building is even opened. It says the figure for residential premises is 51%.<\/p>\n
These calculations suggest it will be decades before some new buildings pay back their carbon debt by saving more emissions than they created – and these are decades when carbon must be sharply reduced.<\/p>\n
The Architects’ Journal has now given evidence to the Commons Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) on the difference between operational emissions from heating and cooling a building and embodied emissions from creating construction materials.<\/p>\n
It wants the government to change the VAT rules which can make it cheaper to rebuild than to refurbish a standing building.<\/p>\n
Architects’ Journal managing editor Will Hurst said: \u201cThis staggering fact has only been properly grasped in the construction industry relatively recently. We\u2019ve got to stop mindlessly pulling buildings down.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said VAT on refurbishment, repair and maintenance should be cut from 20% to zero to match the typical rate for new-build.<\/p>\n
He continued: \u201cIt\u2019s crazy that the government actually incentivises practices that create more carbon emissions. Also, if you avoid demolition you make carbon savings right now, which we really need.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the past the government argued that the EU would forbid zero VAT on renovation \u2013 but they can’t use that excuse now.\u201d<\/p>\n
And Alex Green, from the British Property Federation, said that sometimes the different VAT level is the key factor in determining whether a building is felled or saved for a new purpose.<\/p>\n
Treasury Minister Jesse Norman previously told MPs that property owners already benefit from a reduced VAT rate on residential construction under certain conditions.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cGoing further would be very expensive: reducing VAT on all property renovation, repairs and improvements would cost the Exchequer approximately \u00a36bn per year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government has no plans to review the VAT treatment of construction.\u201d<\/p>\n
What\u2019s more, ministers recently said they would ease planning rules for owners wanting to demolish offices and replace them with new-build homes.<\/p>\n
Mr Hurst has urged them to rethink that plan. He suggested the Treasury could raise the tax on new-build projects to compensate for tax reductions from refurbished buildings.<\/p>\n
He also suggested planning guidance should create a bias toward refurbishment.<\/p>\n
The Architects\u2019 Journal evidence has been reviewed by the EAC. Its chair, Philip Dunne MP, told BBC News: \u201cPrioritising retrofitting can offer huge benefits.<\/p>\n
“It enhances energy efficiency and boosts skills and green jobs quickly in the UK. It will be a crucial component for us to move to a low carbon economy.\u201d<\/p>\n
The EAC will report its findings on the issue in the coming months.<\/p>\n
Read more….<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Footage of buildings being flattened in a noisy demolition may be a popular feature of local TV news reports, but architects say such structures should be protected – to fight climate change, reports the BBC on recent evidence given to … Continue reading