The Scottish Government launched the Net Zero Public Sector Buildings Standard at COP26 as a voluntary initiative. Expressing net zero intentions for projects is complex and nuanced, with early adoption and refinement best led by public bodies’ commitment, rather than compulsion by government. We didn’t know what the uptake would be, but for large, high-profile projects, many public bodies have readily embraced it. It has delivered real change already, and has the potential to lead a lot more as the approximately 23,000 public buildings in Scotland continue their journey to net zero by 2045.  

1,000 days on from its launch, the Standard has had a major influence on significant new-build projects across the public sector in Scotland. The value of projects registered to the Standard has exceeded £3bn and the Standard’s emphasis on clean heating for new-build projects is being adopted into regulations. Furthermore, key outcomes for energy and embodied carbon have been included in major health and education initiatives, such as the NHS’s Sustainable Design and Construction Guide for new-build and refurbishment projects and the Learning Estate Investment Programme.

We at the Scottish Futures Trust led the development of the Standard and have been clear from the outset that it isn’t simply about achieving net zero-ready buildings. It sets clear targets for embodied carbon and operational energy, judged on a building’s actual performance, but also emphasises indoor environmental quality, and wider place-based considerations too. 

Ultimately, it was designed to help public bodies meet their net zero commitments in a realistic and achievable way that also has wider health, wellbeing and environmental benefits. It states that a project should also contribute towards improving lives, create more successful places, and support inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
The 15 projects that have adopted the Standard includes three national strategic infrastructure projects: the Dunfermline Learning Campus, NHS Monklands Replacement Project and HMP Glasgow.

Fife Council’s schools on the Dunfermline Learning Campus are up and running and construction is well underway at Fife College’s new facility on the shared learning campus. The College will become the country’s first net zero-ready tertiary education building when it opens next year. It uses a unique construction design and approach that has 90% recycled steel, saving 20% of the embodied carbon normally expected in a structure of this size. Other green design features include heat pumps and LED lighting with daylight and occupancy controls.

Monklands Replacement Project aims to be the first net zero hospital in Scotland. Embodied carbon reduction is being vigorously pursued, fossil fuels will not be used as primary energy sources, and innovative thermal modelling programmes will help minimise the hospital’s carbon footprint.

On the HMP Glasgow project, the application of the Standard to the design stage has now reached its conclusion with plans to use modern methods of construction, heat pumps for primary heating and cooling, passive ventilation, and other smart technologies.

The pipeline of projects and further uptake of the Standard are now set against a background of challenging budget conditions. It’s likely that, in line with the Scottish Government’s Infrastructure Investment Plan hierarchy, there will be more refurbishment than new-build projects able to adopt the Standard in the future. Another issue is the developing landscape, but with the Heat in Buildings Bill being brought forward, this should provide more clarity. The Standard will need to be updated to reflect policy as it evolves.

The Standard was designed as a carrot rather than a stick - a way for ambitious public bodies to communicate their intention to achieve net zero buildings sooner than 2045, and encourage others to follow. As such, it has been generally well received by project teams, consultants and Tier 1 contractors, who are strongly motivated to use it, whilst organisations such as Zero Waste Scotland (a development partner of the Standard), NHS Assure, and various private sector organisations have been proactively promoting it as a contribution to leading sustainability practice.

Another development on the horizon later this year is a new net zero carbon buildings standard for the UK. This will also be voluntary, but applies to private sector buildings as well as the public sector. The details are still to be finalised, but it’s likely that the Scottish Government’s Standard will remain a useful tool for Scottish public bodies to adopt, particularly as it’s designed to align with Scottish policy, whilst recognising the importance of affordability within the current challenging financial landscape.

However, as with the excellent work by the UK Green Building Council, the Building Research Establishment, the Low Energy Transition Initiative, the Passivhaus Trust and others, the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard will no doubt have a welcome influence, and impact how the Scottish Standard continues to develop.

But if Scotland wants to reach a net zero public sector estate by 2045, it’s fair to say that a lot more needs to be done, particularly with our existing buildings. The Standard encourages public bodies to carry out retrofit energy efficiency measures whilst also undertaking other refurbishment works, in preference to more expensive, standalone energy efficiency projects.

Getting rid of carbon emitting heating is obviously a priority. But if putting in a clean heat source is done without improving the building’s fabric and insulation, it risks still being an expensive building to heat. However, it’s not necessarily practical or desirable for every building to be given a fully comprehensive refurbishment. For example if it’s listed, is in a conservation area, or is used less intensively there might be less of a case for deep retrofit.  

However, every case is different, and the Standard is there to offer guidance on the best course of action for a building. 

We are looking forward to welcoming more public authorities to adopt the Standard for their new-build and refurbishment building projects to reap its longer-term benefits - not just in terms of running cost savings, but also the wider positive effects, for example, improved wellbeing, economic growth and community regeneration.