LEVS

architecten

Carbon
–based
Design
In brief 5

Foreword 13

1 Sustainable, what is that? 17

2 The built environment & CO2 27

3 Paris Proof, a new standard 35

4 Numbers don't lie 45

5 Designing with a CO₂ budget 61

6 What is it worth to you? 83

7 From site to city 91

Five lessons 97

Afterword 109

Glossary 111

Sources 113
In brief We can build within the
Paris Agreement carbon
budget. But we need to
get serious with building-
footprints. Quantify them,
reduce them. Generic
sustainability metrics are
a dead end. Time is up for
business as usual.

Our carbon-based design

method makes embodied
carbon quantifiable
throughout the design
process. It identifies
alternative materials and
building methods and
makes their impact on total
footprint transparent. 5
 Our budget will run
out in 5 years.
To keep global temperature rise within 1.5
degrees, there is limited room to emit CO2.
This is the carbon budget that we can still
spend before we exceed our target.
See chapter 2

One-off emission until completion Annual emissions during usage phase

We need to talk
about materials.
2028
New construction is becoming increasingly
CO2 budget for 1.5°C Current rate +4°C Paris Agreement 1.5°C scenario energy efficient. Even if there are still gains
to be made there, the biggest challenge lies
in reducing embodied carbon emissions
and those of the construction of the building
Anyone can do this, itself.
See chapter 2
now.
Currently, fully biobased designs are a
niche, while the rest of the building indus-
try continues with business as usual. We
need an approach that can make gradual
changes across the board.
See lesson #1 7
 Podiumlocatie, Amsterdam
MPG compliant: 0,60 (< 0,80)
CO2 footprint not compliant:

320 > 220

Not MPG,
but Paris Proof.

320
Our calculations show that projects that easily meet
current MPG standards - a generic metric that indicates
the environmental impact of a contruction project,
required for Dutch building permissions - often do not
meet the Paris Proof carbon budget targets. Therefore,
a lower MPG does not necessarily provide the required
emission reduction.
See chapter 3

kg CO2 eq./m2 GFA

Calculating CO2 during the
design process. This is what we want to know. This unit expresses the footprint of all
released gases with a greenhouse effect equal to that of one kilogram CO2.
The essence of carbon-based design is to calculate a By dividing this value by the total gross floor area (GFA) of a building, we
get a better insight into the relative contribution of a certain material. For
design’s footprint during the design process. Starting in example, a brick may have a high absolute footprint, but on the scale of a
the preliminary phase, we determine the emissions per building that contribution is relatively small.
building layer and identify where gains can be made. See page 88 .

See chapter 4 en 5
Climate change is
caused by increasing
concentrations of
greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere.

The binding Paris

Agreement, signed by
the Netherlands in 2016,
focuses on provable
emission reduction.

As designers and builders,

we must therefore be able
to make targeted choices in
materialization to bring total
building footprint in line
with a reduction scheme
towards net zero. That's real sustainability.
Foreword
Danielle de Nijs

Sustainable, circular, corporate social responsibility. As Our Minister for Housing and Spatial Planning has already
real estate developers and builders, we hear these terms announced his intention to introduce a CO₂ standard.
on a daily basis. Together with nitrogen crisis and housing Furthermore, I imagine that within a few years, buyers or
shortage, they dominate almost every meeting. tenants will ask us critical questions about the footprint of
their homes and the materials we use. Just as investors
And yet, when I ask my colleagues at De Nijs what circu- and clients will.
lar means, it is difficult to get a clear and concrete answer.
Material re-use and harvesting and, above all, calling our All of us involved in property development will have to
demolition contractors to see if they have anything left work to get true sustainability into our system. Step by
that we can use, are the most common ideas. The inten- step, project by project. With a singular focus on design-
tion is good, but whether it will result in a truly sustainable ing and building within the available carbon budget to
building remains to be seen. achieve the climate goals.

2050 may sound far away, however, Dutch politicians Therefore I say: carbon-based design.
have set a 2030 target to reduce CO₂ emissions by 49%
relative to 1990 values. Given the average lead time of a Let's all get started.
development project, 2030 is fast approaching. We, in the
building sector, no longer have time for unclear language.
The questions we should be able to answer for each pro-
ject are: what is the carbon footprint of the plan and what
can be done to reduce it sufficiently?
Danielle de Nijs is CEO of
Bouwbedrijf M.J. de Nijs & Zonen and
board member of Bouwend Nederland.
13
 Populus, Rotterdam

15
Sustainable,
what is that?
'Sustainable' is a catch-all term for
having no or limited harmful impact on
the stability of the natural environment.

This broad definition is both a strength

and a weakness. It is simultaneously
possible to have been constructing
sustainable buildings for years and to
have only just begun with sustainable
construction. How can that be?

17
 From nature-inclusive to
biobased. By now, these
are well-known aspects
of sustainable design.
Some are more clearly
defined than others, but
they all aim to limit dam-
age to nature and the
environment or con-
Nature-inclusive Rainproof Energy neutral
tribute to a liveable city.
We, too, do it all in our
projects, but it remains
abstract as to what
extent this contributes to
solving climate change or
biodiversity loss.

Reuse Repurpose Circular

Modular Biobased Local materials 19

 The following also applies
to these standards, certifi-
cates and design guidelines:
MPG it remains, to some extent,
unclear how much they con-
tribute to combating climate
change.

In construction, the elephant

in the room has only recently
been called by its name: CO2.
BENG
Increasingly, we talk about
CO2 neutrality and storage,
or we mention the num-
ber of rotations around the
earth that can be flown with
the avoided emissions of a
design.
BREEAM
This is often calculated after
the design process is com-
plete, without any sense of
what’s been achieved in the
big picture.

Circular Construction
Therefore, it is necessary to
Economy be able to link building emis-
sions to international climate
targets.

Material Passport
21
Dear client,

It is a complex market with a multitude of ambitions and

requirements. Fortunately, you dare to keep investing. But, to
be able to create places where people want to live and which
will prove their value in the future, building within the available
CO2 budget will become a necessary condition.

How can you best make that possible? Expand your

program specifications to include biobased or small-footprint
materials. And follow through with these ambitions by building
with them. It is in everyone's interest that we show that it is
possible and effective. Now is the time.

LEVS architecten
Manifesto nr. 1001

25
The built
environment
& CO2
To achieve the Paris target of a
maximum temperature increase of 1.5
degrees, there is only limited room
for CO2 emissions. We have, in other
words, a carbon budget that we
can still spend before we definitively
surpass the target. What is the budget
for the Dutch building industry as a
whole? And where is the overall room
to use that budget efficiently while we
scale down?

27
 Total CO2 budget Here we see the global car-
for 1.5 °C warming bon budget, which is derived
(as of 2022) by first calculating the popu-
lation-based portion (0.2%),
followed by the embodied
320 Gton component of construction
Worldwide (11%), and more specifically,
housing construction (Alba
Concepts, 2022). If we com-
pare the available budget
for housing with the budget
required for 900,000 new
homes, we can clearly see
712 Mton the discrepancy.
The Netherlands

Embodied
emissions
78 Mton
Construction NL

45 Mton
for 900.000 homes alone
up to 2030

18 Mton Based on
MPG = 0,8*
* A lower MPG will not automatically provide
the necessary emission reduction because
it is a combination of several environmental
Housing NL indicators and not just CO2.

29
 Information model of a building's environmental impact during life cycle (NMD, 2022) Why are we talking about
embodied emissions? These
Emissions until Emissions Emissions are the emissions that arise
during the extraction and
completion during use after use production of the building
Production phase material itself. They can no
Use phase longer be influenced once
A1 Extraction of raw materials
A2 Transport to factory B1 Use Demolition and
a building is completed. In
A3 Production B2 Maintenance processing phase contrast, operational emis-
B3 Repair
Construction phase B4 Replacement sions can be minimized in a
C1 Demolition
B5 Renewal C2 Transport (nearly) energy-neutral home.
A4 Transport to site
A5 Construction and installation process
C3 Waste treatment The latter is generally done
C4 Disposal
very well. The greatest emis-
sion reduction in new con-
B6 Operational struction can be achieved by
energy use
B7 Operational fine-tuning building material
Embodied emissions water use choices right from the start.
Operational emissions

CO2 emissions

B One-off emissions until delivery

Can only be influenced now

Annual emissions in the use phase

Can also be influenced later

(Based on: Cityförster, Transitieteam

Circulaire Bouweconomie, 2021,
Now 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050 2055 2060 2065 2070 Time pag. 24)
31
 CAN kavel Z4, Amsterdam

33
Paris Proof,
a new
standard
Building within a carbon budget
requires a collective strategy. Jumping
to net-zero emissions is not done
overnight. Doing nothing until the
budget is exhausted (5 years at the
current rate) is a bad idea: the building
industry could come to a complete
standstill. So, urgent and gradual
scaling down is the only option.
Therefore we must focus on the only
existing and calculated scheme so far:
Paris Proof embodied carbon.
35
 CO2 emissions per home (Based on: Rutten, 2021) The Paris Proof embodied
carbon* target values were
calculated by NIBE on behalf
of the Dutch Green Building
Council (2022).
Curre
nt rat
e +4 °C
These values have been
determined in such a way
that we can spread the
available carbon budget for
Paris A
g reemen
t
1.5 degrees of warming over
Carbon budget
for 1.5 °C 1.5 °C
several years.
scen
a rio
Paris Proof means that the
completed building has a
2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050 Time
embodied footprint per m2
GFA below or equal to the
target value of the permit
Embodied carbon emissions (kg CO2/m2 GFA) year.
400
* Hereafter: Paris Proof.
MPG

300

220
200

139
100
83
50

2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050 Time Paris Proof multi-family home
37
 Here are three examples
from our own projects. The
current MPG standard is
Stepstone,
448 Amsterdam
clearly inadequate. Buildings
MPG = 0.80 that score below the stand-
ard of 0.8 fall far short of the
Paris Proof CO2 target values.
For 2023 we've taken the
target value of 220 kg CO2 /
m2 GFA.

Podiumlocatie,
320 Amsterdam
MPG = 0.60*

350 Omloop, Utrecht

MPG = 0.75*

* Including solar panels.

39
Dear builder,

Like no other, you are there when it really happens.

Governments, designers, and clients: we make plans,
but without your knowledge, skill and ability to make the
seemingly impossible possible, we would be nowhere.

However, reality can also catch up with you. If you keep

doing what you've always done, that might just happen. Just
like with nitrogen. Or like the lack of masons. So, invest in
new material knowledge, new equipment and new training in
people. This is how we will achieve a new construction reality.

LEVS architecten
 Podiumlocatie, Amsterdam

43
Numbers
don't lie
Calculating the footprint of a design
during the design process – that is
the basis of carbon-based design.
To do this, you need three things: a
BIM model with extensive information
about each building layer, the product
cards from the National Environmental
Database, separate EPDs and the
Paris Proof calculation protocol
from the DGBC. We then determine
the emissions for each building
component and see where gains can
be made.

45
 There is no CO2 calcula-
tion without a well-built BIM
model. The model must
be built up with layers and
materials so that the neces-
Foundation Structure Skin sary numbers, linear meters,
areas and volumes can be
extracted from it. We organ-
ize materials into six layers,
inspired by Stewart Brand's
S-model (1994).

DGBC's Paris Proof calcula-

28 145 38
tion protocol (2022) speci-
fies using only the data from
modules A1-A5, the produc-
tion phase and the construc-
tion phase. We group the
materials by building layer
and then use BIMpact to mul-
tiply them by their respective
footprint per m, m2 or m3 and
divide it by the total GFA.
Walls Installations Other

Podiumlocatie,
24 34 24 Amsterdam 320
Total

47
 Each layer consists of spe-
1 Floor cific building components.
1
At each detail level, we can
2 Load-bearing wall
Structure make choices about material
3 Glass use and calculate the impact
2
4 Window frame of an alternative material
5 Outer cavity wall
choice.

6 Insulation

7 Inner cavity wall

8 Interior wall

9 Door frame

10 Separating wall

8
Skin Walls

5 6 7

3 10
9
49
 Detail level Product name Detail level Product name

1. Floor Wide slab floor, concrete C30/37 CEMIII Smoldered brick masonry exterior walls
incl. reinforcement
Hollow-core slab, prefab concrete Brick masonry, dry-stack system

Structure Floor element, cross laminated timber

(CLT) Brick masonry 60-65 mm
2. Load-bearing Solid load-bearing walls, concrete poured Brick strips 15 mm on aluminium cassette
wall in situ C20/25 incl. reinforcement
Mineral brick strips on 20 mm cempanel
Solid load-bearing walls, concrete poured
in situ C30/37 CEMIII incl. reinforcement Plaster on rockwool insulation
Plaster on cempanel
Solid load-bearing walls, prefab concrete Glazed hollow ceramic element
element
Unglazed hollow ceramic element
Wall element, cross laminated timber
(CLT) Thermally modified ayous wood cladding

Solid load-bearing walls, limestone blocks Fraké wood cladding

Charred wood cladding
3. Glass Exterior triple glazing, uncoated
Compressed heat-treated bamboo
cladding incl. fixings
Exterior double glazing, uncoated
Skin Ceramic panel from residual materials
Exterior glazing, vacuum glass
4. Frame Plastic frame with steel reinforcement Biobased wood fibre composite

Aluminium frame fixed and/or operable, Biobased rice husk composite

anodized
Biobased reed composite
Aluminium frame fixed and/or operable,
Aluminium composite 4 mm facade
coated
system
Wood/aluminium frame, exterior casing
Facade element, architectural concrete,
European coniferous frame, fixed rigid foam insulation

5. Outer cavity wall Mud brick masonry Micro concrete with steel fibres
60-80 mm
Brick masonry, standard Dutch format
CO2 reduction
CO2 intensive

(100 x 50 x 210 mm) Glass-fibre reinforced concrete 15 mm

CO2 storage

Brick exterior wall water absorption > 7 % 6. Insulation Glass wool panel

Brick exterior wall water absorption < 7 % Rockwool panel

 Detail level Product name Detail level Product name

Resol rigid foam board Double gypsum block wall, high density
Flexible wood fibre insulation (55 kg/m )
3
Gypsum fibreboard system, double-clad
with glass wool insulation
Wood fibre board (115 kg/m )3

Gypsum fibreboard system 100 mm,

Recycled denim insulation
double-clad with 40 mm wood fibre
7. Inner cavity wall Wall element, cross laminated timber insulation
(CLT)
Double flax fibre core wall with double
Timber frame wall with glass wool plasterboard
insulation
Solid, non-load-bearing wall, limestone
Timber frame wall with biobased/wood blocks
fibre insulation
11. Screed Anhydrite screed 60 mm, pressure-
Solid, non-load-bearing wall, prefab Other resistant rockwool 25 mm
concrete element
Floor element, gypsum fibreboard 18 mm
8. Interior wall Gypsum blocks 70 mm, normal density with pressure-resistant rockwool board

Gypsum fibre board system 100 mm, Floor element, gypsum fibreboard 18 mm
double-clad with 40 mm glass wool with pressure-resistant wood fibre board
insulation 10 mm

Gypsum fibre board system 100 mm, Anhydrite floor finish, floating on 20 mm
double-clad with 40 mm wood fibre polystyrene
insulation
12. Balustrade Balustrade, steel power-coated with
Solid, non-load-bearing wall, prefab glass plate
concrete element
Balustrade, steel with powder-coated
Flax fibre core wall with double plaster- spindles
board
Balustrade, anodised aluminium
Solid, non-load-bearing wall, aerated
Balustrades, coated aluminium
concrete blocks
Balustrades, European softwood with
9. Door frame Steel inner frame, galvanized + enamelled
sustainably forested spindles
Wooden inner frame, alkyd painted
13. Gallery / Balcony and gallery floors, concrete
Wooden inner door with glass panel balcony floor
0,85 m2, alkyd painted
Prefab balconies, high-strength concrete
CO2 reduction
CO2 intensive

Plywood interior door, double plywood

CO2 storage

Wooden gallery floor, closed underside

sheet, alkyd painted
Sustainably forested European softwood
10. Separating wall Mud-brick
cladding

53
Hybrid approach Example
CO2 intensive CO2 reduction CO2 storage

1 ✔ Wide slab floor, concrete mortar Hollow-core slab, prefab concrete Floor element,
C30/37 CEMIII incl. reinforcement cross laminated timber (CLT)

2 Solid load-bearing walls,

prefab concrete element
✔ Solid load-bearing walls, limestone blocks Wall element,
cross laminated timber (CLT)
Structure

3 ✔ Exterior double glazing, uncoated Exterior glazing, uncoated vacuum glass -

4 Plastic frame with steel reinforcement Aluminium frame fixed and/or operable, ✔ Wood/aluminium frame, exterior
Skin coated casing

5 Brick masonry, standard Dutch format ✔ Brick masonry 60-65 mm Biobased rice husk composite
(210 x 100 x 50 mm)

6 Rockwool panel Glass wool panel ✔ Wood fibre board (115 kg/m3)

7 Solid, non-load-bearing walls, Solid, non-load-bearing walls, ✔ Timber frame wall with biobased/
prefab concrete limestone blocks wood fibre insulation

8 Solid, non-load-bearing walls, ✔ Gypsum fibreboard system 100 mm, Flax fibre core with double
limestone blocks double-clad with 40 mm wood fibre plasterboard
insulation

Walls
9 Steel inner frame, galvanized + - ✔ Wooden inner frame,
enamelled alkyd painted

10 Double gypsum block wall, high Gypsum fibreboard system, double clad ✔ Double flax fibre core wall with
density with glass wool insulation double plasterboard

55
Based on
16.000 m2
GFA

Skin
Aluminium composite Brick, standard
10,6 with steel profiles
2,7 Dutch format
1,5 Hollow ceramic element -2,3 Bamboo

Skin
4,5 Resol foam board 2,7 Rockwool 1,5 Glass wool -2,3 Wood fibre insulation

Walls
10,7 Metal stud with insulation 8,6 Limestone 3,8 Mud-brick -8,3 Flax-wood-gypsum wall
 Podiumlocatie, Amsterdam

59
Designing
with a CO₂
budget
Designing with a carbon budget
means reevaluating material choices
during the design process. After
all, even if it is not possible to build
Paris Proof 2050 now, it may still be
possible to build Paris Proof 2030 or
at least Paris Proof 2023. Let’s look at
an example.

61
Design roadmap

Materials 2 1 BIM model

library

3 Paris Proof
calculation protocol

63
 We go through a step-by-
step plan in each phase.
Over time, the calcula-
tion and design becomes
increasingly sophisticated.
Precisely because we start
it early, we can consider
CO2 emissions integrally, in
conjunction with all other
aspects of the project.

Sketch Preliminary Definitive Building

design design design permit

Start End *

* MPG calculation by advisor

65
 Example
300
Initial value
Consider a fictitious residen-
tial building with a both high-
rise and low-rise volume. The
total GFA in this example is
16,000 m2 . The starting point
is a standard construction
method of a prefab con-
crete shell, standard interior
walls, floors, insulation and
brick facade. The building
complies with the MPG and
BENG. The total footprint of
the current design is 300 kg
CO2 eq./m2 GFA.

What will it take for the build-

ing to meet the Paris Proof
targets of 2023, 2030 and
2050?

Structure
Load-bearing concrete walls
Concrete balcony / gallery

Skin
Brick exterior facade
Glass wool
Concrete interior walls
Concrete facade elements
Aluminium frame
CO2 intensive
CO2 reduction Walls
CO2 storage Metal stud interior walls
67
 Paris Proof
220
Target value 2023
With the following series
of adjustments in material
selection at structural, facade
and interior wall levels, we
will achieve the target for
2023.

Structure
Reduction of concrete in balcony + gallery
Limestone blocks

Skin
Thinner brick masonry
Bamboo gallery facade
Wood fibre insulation
Timber frame interior wall
Reduction of concrete elements
Wood-aluminium frame
CO2 intensive
CO2 reduction Walls
CO2 storage Flax fibre interior walls
69
 Paris Proof
139
Target value 2030
To achieve the 2030 target
based on the 2023 scenario,
in addition to the interven-
tions that have already been
made, we will apply wooden
modules in the low-rise build-
ing. An additional advantage
is that we will need less con-
crete in the foundation and
fewer installations because
wood is lighter and insulates
better. We will keep the con-
struction of the tower as it is.

Structure
Reduction of concrete in balcony + gallery
Limestone blocks
Wooden modules in low-rise building

Skin
Thinner brick masonry
Bamboo gallery facade
Wood fibre insulation
Timber frame interior wall
Reduction of concrete elements
Wood-aluminium frame
CO2 intensive
CO2 reduction Walls
CO2 storage Flax fibre interior walls
71
 Paris Proof
50
Target value 2050
The last step can only be
made by building the tower
with CLT, in addition to all
the adjustments made in the
2023 and 2030 scenarios.

Structure
Reduction of concrete in balcony + gallery
Limestone blocks
Wooden modules in low-rise building
CLT tower

Skin
Thinner brick masonry
Bamboo gallery facade
Wood fibre insulation
Timber frame interior wall
Reduction of concrete elements
Wood-aluminium frame
CO2 intensive
CO2 reduction Walls
CO2 storage Flax fibre interior walls
73
Start 2023 2030 2050 Here we see the results per
layer.* It is not surprising that
with an all-wood construc-
tion, due to the CO2 storage
48 48 45 40 in the material, the 2050 tar-
get is easily achieved. More
interesting, however, are the
other scenarios. The partial
alternative shows that hybrid
121 100 9 -134 construction can be part
of the solution for the next
ten years and is especially
an outcome when modular
64 21 21 21 construction can be applied
in low-rise buildings. The
adjustments to interior walls
and insulation show that it
is already possible to make
21 10 10 10 an existing Paris Proof 2023
design with minimal interven-
tions.

40 35 35 35 The general conclusion:

biobased and wood con-
struction is necessary, but
we can scale up step by
6 6 6 6 step**. Anyone can start
doing this now, in any project.
* We include CO2 storage of biobased
materials in our calculation. (Centrum Hout;
Climate Cleanup et al., 2021)
** There is sufficient capacity for wood
300 220 126 -22 in European forests (Centrum Hout et al.,
> 220 = 220 < 139 < 50 2021).
75
 We include carbon stor-
age in biobased materials
in our calculation. Carbon
storage is one of the main
arguments for why building
with biobased materials will
CO2 emission be able to help realise a
built environment in line with
(inter)national climate goals.

Operational

Construction
Transport
Production Conventional
Harvest
Time

Biobased

Operational

Construction
Transport

Production
Harvest

CO2 storage

77
Dear designer,

The climate crisis is nothing special to us. Nothing more than

an extra dimension to the already complex social, cultural
and technical puzzle that we are used to solving. However,
it must be acknowledged that sustainability in architecture
is currently a topic without a shared understanding of its
meaning and measurement, both in the past and present.

If we want to be ready to shape the challenges of the future,

now is the time to start designing with a carbon budget.

LEVS architecten
 Carbon-based design workshop LEVS architecten (2022)

81
What's it
worth to
you?
CO2 has a price tag. And that's good
news. Understanding the direct
relationship between investment and
emission reduction makes it easier for
all parties to make choices. Biobased
alternatives still cost more now, but
that will change due to rising costs
of traditional materials, growth of
biobased capacity and growing market
value of sustainable construction.

83
Extra investment Makin an existing design
Paris Proof 2023 Paris Proof 2023 right now
would require an additional
2-3% investment of 2-3% of the
total construction sum. This
of total is a reasonable estimate

building based on our research. A

rising cost of CO2 intensive
costs materials will also ensure
that this extra investment will
become relatively smaller
over time.

Investor
The additional investment is interesting because it frees
or even creates future investment space, namely carbon
budget that remains available.

Buyer
It will become increasingly easy to finance a verifiably
sustainable home with a green mortgage. Moreover, a
growing group of buyers are willing to pay more for a
demonstrably sustainable home.

Bank
Providing mortgages for the purchase of verifiably sus-
tainable homes is becoming increasingly important for
banks that want to be able to justify sustainable invest-
ments. 85
 EU ETS Carbon emission allowance €/t CO₂ The EU’s Emissions Trading
System (ETS) is a financial
110
instrument to reduce CO2
100
emissions. Emission allow-
90
ances can be bought in an
80 EU-restricted market. The
70 plan is part of the European
60 Green Deal. In recent years,
50 the price of a ton of CO2 has
40 risen sharply (EU Carbon
30 Price Tracker, 2022). Once
20 the construction sector is
10 also added to the ETS sys-
tem, there will be a direct
relationship between CO2
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Time
and material costs. It will rein-
force the current price trends
of concrete and wood.
Raw material costs per m³

Concrete
• CO₂ price rise
• LCA-value rise
• Scarcity of sand/cement

Wood
• CO₂ price rise
• LCA-value fall
• Renewable raw material
• Smart use of manufacturer's capacity

2022 ? Time
87
 ROOT, Eindhoven

89
 n e a k From site
S ek
pe to city
Buildings do not stand alone, they
are part of a living environment. The
density and organization of that
environment affect its use of energy
and raw materials. Carbon-based
design can also be applied at a
regional level: at what densities can
we optimize quality of life with the
lowest possible footprint? Our current
research focuses on this question.

91
 Using an urban transfor-
mation area as an exam-
a k ple, together with several
n e partners, we are currently
S ek investigating the effect of

pe urban design choices on the

carbon budget. First, we are
working out the best method
to determine the footprint of
a new public space and its
infrastructure. The next step
is to make an inventory of
interventions to demonstra-
bly reduce that footprint.

93
Dear government,

We admire your ambitions: 49% reduction in emissions in

2030 and 95% by 2050. Such targets are certainly aspiring
and carry significant consequences if not achieved, such as
the possibility of a construction freeze. So, how are you going
to make it happen?

Our answer: shift the focus from MPG to CO2. Otherwise,

it will soon be too late. A lower MPG is good, but we must
specifically include the necessary reduction in material-
related CO2 emissions in our designs. Designers and
builders can come up with integrated solutions. Set concrete
requirements and we promise you: we will make it happen.

LEVS architecten
Five
lessons

97
 #1

90 20 % reduction Ambition
x 10 x 90 % new build x Scale
9 18 % result Impact
A simple calculation shows: it is better
to build the majority of new buildings
a little more sustainably than a small
part significantly. At the moment, fully
biobased construction is a niche and
the rest of the, industry continues
with business as usual. Between
today and the day when building in
wood has become the norm, making
demonstrable CO2 reduction happen
in other ways is imperative. 99
#2

Biobased in
the specs
Biobased is necessary because we
need to store CO2 to have net zero
emissions. We can do this step by
step, as we have shown: with smaller
interventions at the level of the interior
walls, facades and other layers and
additional effects on construction
and installations. To really get going,
we need more biobased our material
specifiers. Only then can we gradually
transition to a Paris Proof built
environment in the coming years. 101
 #3

Design with
75 % a budget
50 %
Budget-thinking makes sustainability
concrete. A carbon budget is the
connecting link between political
agreements, economic reality
and sector-wide transition to truly
25 % sustainable construction. Moreover,
budget thinking makes hybrid
solutions possible: tailor-made
interventions can be devised for
each project to spend the budget as
intelligently as possible. 103
#4

BIM with
S-layers
Without a well-constructed BIM
model, there is no CO2 calculation.
To be able to calculate the footprint
from the earliest design phase
and investigate alternatives, it is
necessary to build up your BIM
model in layers and provide it with
material information as early as
the preliminary design phase. For
everyone, this means investing
in knowledge, technology and
modelling hours. 105
#5

Bricks don't
trouble us

Too often we talk about bricks as a

problem – and that doesn’t have to
be. In large urban projects, the share
of a brick exterior facade in the total
footprint is very small – roughly three
percent. Of course, adjustments
can be made in the form of a thinner
brick or different material on the
inner facade. But completely writing
off brick as a facade material is not
necessary. 107
Afterword
This booklet is the result of a year of research into making published an inspiring study about it. Around the same
the CO₂ emissions of our designs measurable. We have time, the concept of a CO₂ budget started to make the
been working on sustainability in the built environment for rounds and the DGBC published a report with calculated
years. The theme is close to our hearts. But at the same target values for the construction industry to stay within
time, it is frustrating. Too often ambition and optimism fail 1.5 degrees of warming. Conclusions: Climate change is
when confronted with the reality of financing, guarantees predominantly driven by CO2 (and other greenhouse gas
and (missing) regulations. And too often it remains vague emissions). It is possible to measure CO2 emissions in
what exactly we are achieving. your design, and subsequently, establish a direct correla-
tion between these emissions and political objectives.
A number of publications and developments, such as the
Paris and Dutch climate accords, have prompted us to At least, in theory. To put this into practice, we have taken
develop a carbon-based design approach and make it part steps to develop a technical solution. Under the guise
of our design practice. For the first time, there are con- of 'numbers don't lie', we have begun calculating our
crete, binding ambitions: 49% emission reduction in 2030, projects in order to determine the effect of building less,
and 95% by 2050. In December 2022, the Minister of building differently and building with other (biobased)
Housing and Spatial Planning announced that these ambi- materials during the design process.
tions would also be translated into standards specifically
for building materials. Ambitions, by the way, with possibly By taking a more technical approach to the problem, we
equally concrete consequences: the nitrogen crisis has hope to reinforce our idealism with a good dose of real-
shown what happens when such a standard is not met. We ism, so that sustainable construction becomes a large-
want to prevent this with CO₂. scale reality.

The concept of carbon-based design is not new. In 2021, Amsterdam, January 2023
Cityförster and Transitieteam Circulaire Bouweconomie LEVS architecten
109
Glossary

BIM MPG
Building Information Model. In practice, a Milieuprestatie Gebouw. A generic metric
BIM model is a digital design with more that indicates the environmental impact
or less detailed specification of every of a contruction project, using a combina-
aspect of the design. tion of environmental pollution markers.
An MPG score below 0.8 is required for
Biobased Dutch building permissions.
Derived from living substance, eit-
her plant, animal, bacterial or fungal. Net zero
Commonly, building products are called Achieving net total CO2 emissions for a
'biobased' when they contain a majority product or process, by compensating
component plantbased material. any remaining emission either through
offsetting, cutting fossil-fuel based
Carbon budget resource-dependency, or storage in the
The total amount of CO2 that can still be product or process itself.
added to the atmosphere before causing
global heating beyond 1.5 degrees. Paris Proof
Paris Proof means that the completed
Embodied carbon building has a embodied footprint per m2
The emissions that arise during the GFA below or equal to the target value of
extraction and production of the building the permit-year.
material itself, transport to the buiding
site and the construction of the physical
building.

Hybrid approach
Consiously and intelligently using a
combination of conventional, low-emis-
sion- and biobased building materials to
achieve effective footprint reduction.
111
Sources
Alba Concepts (2022) De Leeuw, M. (2022, 23 december)
Bouwen binnen CO2 budget: benodigde Minister wil CO₂-plafond invoeren voor
condities en de potentie van Carbon bouwmateriaal cobouw.nl/310203/minis-
Based Design albaconcepts.nl/alba- ter-wil-co2-plafond-invoeren-voor-bouw-
paper-bouwen-binnen-co2-budget- materiaal
benodigde-condities-en-de-potentie-
van-carbon-based-design Dutch Green Building Council, NIBE
(2022)
Brand, S. (1994) Paris Proof Materiaalgebonden:
How Buildings Learn: What Happens achtergrondrapport https://www.dgbc.nl/
After They’re Built. New York: Viking publicaties/de-berekening-achter-paris-
proof-materiaalgebonden-emissies-49
Centrum Hout. Opslag CO2 in hout
opslagco2inhout.nl EU Carbon Price Tracker
ember-climate.org/data/data-tools/
Centrum Hout, Transitieteam Circulaire carbon-price-viewer
Bouweconomie en PIANOo (2021).
Woningbouw in hout circulairebouw Nationale Milieudatabase (2022)
economie.nl/nieuws/nieuw-rapportage- Bepalingsmethode Milieuprestatie
woningbouw-in-hout/ Bouwwerken, versie 1.1 milieudatabase.nl/
milieuprestatie/bepalingsmethode/
Cityförster, Transitieteam Circulaire
Bouweconomie (2021) Rijksoverheid (2019)
Carbon-based Design: onderzoek naar Klimaatakkoord rijksoverheid.nl/
de milieuimpact van de woningbouw documenten/rapporten/2019/06/28/
circulairebouweconomie.nl/nieuws/ klimaatakkoord
onderzoek-brengt-milieu-impact-
en-materiaalgebonden-emissies-in- Rutten, M. (2021, 9 november)
woningbouw-in-kaart 75 procent CO2-besparing in 2030?
Er is geen keus! Cobouw cobouw.
Climate Cleanup, ASN bank, Gideon nl/300234/opinie-75-procent-co2-
(2021) besparing-in-2030-er-is-geen-keus
Construction Stored Carbon: a financial
metric for carbon storage in the built
environment climatecleanup.org/
constructionstoredcarbon
113
LEVS architecten projects

p. 15
Populus, Rotterdam
Client: AM
Contractor: BAM Wonen
Image: Vivid Vision

p. 43
Podiumlocatie, Amsterdam
Client: SAREF en De Nijs
Projectontwikkeling
Contractor: Bouwbedrijf De Nijs
Image: SURREND3R

p. 87
ROOT, Eindhoven
Client: VORM
Contractor: Huybregts Relou
Image: Vivid Vision

p. 103
De Bocht, Amsterdam
Client: Amvest
Contractor: Koopmans Bouw
Image: LEVS architecten

p. 105
Turfstraat, Arnhem
Client: Stadswaarde
Contractor: Ter Steege Bouw
Image: LEVS architecten

www.carbonbaseddesign.nl

Research, concept, text and

Image and text of this LEVS publication graphic design:
may only be shared and used in accord- LEVS architecten
ance with the Creative Commons License
CC BY-NC-ND, stating LEVS architecten,
Amsterdam. © 2023 LEVS architecten
Carbon-based design makes
embodied carbon emissions
quantifiable during the design
process. It makes possible targeted
choices in materialization, that bring
total building footprint in line with a
reduction scheme towards net zero.
With carbon-based design, we can let
the built environment help us achieve
international climate goals.

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