Costain is rolling out its Carbon Design Tool across all its sectors after successful deployments on aviation, energy and water projects. The tool helps project teams to identify and design out potential carbon hotspots at the earliest possible stage of an infrastructure project.
The Carbon Design Tool is used at the design stage to forecast potential carbon hotspots during an infrastructure project. The forecasted emissions are benchmarked in line with the latest RICS guidance. Costain project teams can use the tool to make comparisons and then adopt alternative construction methods, implement design modifications, or substitute or reuse specific materials or products.
The tool is displayed via an online dashboard and is intended for widespread use across a project team, not just sustainability or carbon management specialists.
The tool has been successfully applied to Costain’s design for a new baggage handling system for Heathrow Airport. Here, the tool identified steel as a major carbon hotspot and subsequently helped Costain deliver a design with a 26% reduction in embodied carbon compared with traditional methods.
Aligned with carbon data
The Carbon Design Tool works in conjunction with Costain’s Environmental Construction Data Tracker, which simplifies carbon emissions reporting during the construction phase. Combined, the two technologies provide a holistic, end-to-end carbon management system for customers and supply chain partners, creating a continuous cycle of improvement and insight-based decision-making around decarbonisation, Costain said.
Nanette Heystek, principal sustainability engineer at Costain, said: “We’ve already been successful in improving the accuracy and frequency of environmental data reporting during the delivery phase of our infrastructure projects. The Carbon Design Tool’s ability to forecast emissions at the design stage will make it easier for projects to adopt more sustainable, lower-carbon methods from the outset and support a decarbonised UK.”
The Carbon Design Tool is aligned with Costain’s PAS 2080 carbon management standard certification.
