1

Is sufficient weight given to travel-related CO2 emission

when assessing the environmental performance of

offices?

2

Aim and objectives

• Aim:– To determine whether, when assessing the

environmental performance of offices, CO2 emission from commuting and business travel is given sufficient weight

• Objectives:– Compare CO2 emissions resulting from

commuting/business travel with those from building operation

– Investigate weight given to each in BREEAM Offices

– Test whether method for assigning credits for travel-related CO2 emission efficiency is capable of discerning intra-urban differences in location

Source: BRE (2009)

Total UK Carbon emissions by activity

(end user figures)

4

Transport CO2 emission

Road transport accounts for 93% of transport emissions by source (excluding the UK’s share of international aviation and shipping)

70% commuting trips are by car, accounting for 73% of all commuting miles travelled (DoT, 2006)

5

Source: Transport Statistics GB (2007)

Transport CO2 emission

6

CO2 emission from commutingand business travel

• Office activity generates travel as a result of– workers commuting between home and workplace– customers/clients and suppliers visiting the

premises

• The frequency and length of trips and the mode of transport used will depend on:– The requirement for

• Physical presence of workforce• Face-to-face contact with clients

– The location of the office in relation to the location of:

• Workforce• Market• Complementary business activities

– Availability and cost of transport modes

7

CO2 emission from commutingand business travel• Cervero (1988) found that office decentralisation in N. America

led to longer journey distances and greater use of private vehicles

• In Canada the IBI Group (1990) found significant variation in public transport patronage depending on whether the urban form was decentralised, compact or nodal

• In the Netherlands Konings et al (1996) found that developments in existing city limits attracted a greater proportion of public transport commuting than urban extension or rural developments

• In the UK Titheridge and Hall (2006) found that the creation of new growth centres in South East England led to increased car use as the centres provide less opportunities for access by rail

• “The trend towards centralisation of services, distribution and retail provision, often at edge of town developments, …, have all contributed towards increasing demands for transport” (CfIT, 2007)

Office locations in the Bristol Sub-RegionOrdnance SurveyGazetteer and location data© Crown Copyright

Proportion of commuters travelling to office destination wards, classified by mode of travel

Office location

Car driver (inc taxi)

Car passen-

ger

Train Motor-cycle

Walk/bike

Bus

Clevedon 57% 4% 1% 1% 15% 2%

Portishead 63% 5% 0% 1% 11% 1%

Ham Green

55% 4% 0% 2% 18% 2%

Aztec West 76% 6% 0% 1% 9% 4%

Almonds-bury

77% 5% 0% 1% 6% 4%

Parkway 66% 6% 2% 1% 9% 7%

Brabazon 71% 6% 1% 4% 12% 4%

Bristol Bus P

70% 6% 4% 2% 10% 5%

City centre 47% 6% 2% 2% 19% 21%

Source: 2001 Census: Special Workplace Statistics (Level 2)

Proportion of commuters travelling to specific offices in Bristol (2000/1), classified by mode of travel

Office location

Car driver (inc taxi)

Car passen-

ger

Train Motor-cycle

Walk/bike

Bus

Out-of-town

Orange (Aztec West & Almonds-bury)

79% 7% - 2% 6% 7%

City centre

Orange 27% 4% 16% 8% 22% 7%

Andersons 23% - 29% - 25% 23%

Bristol & West

28% 8% 13% 2% 15% 36%

DAS 29% 21% 9% 2% 14% 25%

City centre average

27% 11% 17% 4% 19% 27%

Source: various travel surveys

Gross floor-space (m2) of sampleNat. vent.

cellular

Nat. vent. open-plan

Air-con standar

d

Air-conprestige

Sub-Total

Total

City Centre:Under 10 years

- 

1,765 14,320

178,368

194,454

City Centre:10+ years

32,270

195,219

391,336

67,875

686,700

CITY CENTRE 881,153

Out-of-town:Under 10 years

-  43,193

91,760

 -

134,953

Out-of-town:10+ years - 

100,619

73,659

5,853

180,131

OUT-OF-TOWN

315,084

TOTAL 1,196,238

12

City Centre (overview)

13

North Fringe (Almondsbury and Aztec West Parks)

14

Emersons Green

15

Clevedon

16

2006(M&O)

2008

Criterion Credits

% Credits %

Management 4 5 10 12

Health and Wellbeing 15 18 14 15

Energy 23 28 21 19

Transport 17 21 10 8

Water 9 11 6 6

Materials 3 4 12 12.5

Waste - - 7 7.5

Land Use & Ecology 0 0 10 10

Pollution 11 13 12 10

TOTAL 82 100 102 100

BREEAM Offices

17

NaturallyVentilated

Cellular

NaturallyVentilatedOpen Plan

Air-conditioned

Standard

Air-conditioned

Prestige

kgCO2/m2 of

treated floor area [1]

14.8 18.7 38.0 56.4

kgCO2/occu-pant

118.4 149.6 304.0 451.2

Proportion of Bristol stock (in terms of gross floor-space)

3% 28% 48% 21%

[1] Source: Carbon Trust (2000)

Weighted average CO2 emission per worker per annum for Bristol = 286kg

Annual CO2 emission fromoffice occupancy

18

Mode Km travelled per person per

year commuting / on

business

CO2 emission (kg/km/person)

CO2 emission (kg/person) weighted by

distance travelled by each mode

Walk / Bike 51 (1%) 0 0

Car driver 2,285 (69%) 0.1710 (single) 267.68

Car passenger 304 (9%) 0.0855 (share) 2.37

Motorcycle 26 (1%) 0.0872 0.01

Other private 31 (1%) - -

Local bus 109 (3%) 0.0762 0.27

Rail / underground

440 (13%) 0.0486 (train) 2.81

Other public 90 (3%) - -

All modes 3,336 (100%) 273

Annual CO2 emission fromcommuting / business travel

Sources: Dept for Transport, National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory

19

2006 2008

Criterion Credits

% Credits %

Energy 23 28 21 19

Transport 17 21 10 8

BREEAM Offices

• Not all of the transport credits relate to location• In 2006 it was 12 out of 17 credits but in 2008 it

was only four out of the 10 available• This means that in 2008 only 3% of total

BREEAM credits are available for location-dependent transport features (compared to 15% in 2006)

• Given the amount of CO2 emitted as a result of commuting/business travel, this might be regarded as rather low

20

2006• Access to public

transport (up to 2 credits)

• CO2 emissions from commuting and business travel (up to 10 credits)

• Cyclist facilities (up to 3 credits)

• Carried out a travel survey (1 credit)

• Implemented a travel plan (1 credit)

2008• Access to the public

transport network (up to 3 credits)

• Access to local amenities (1 credit)

• Cyclist facilities (up to 2 credits)

• Site layout that ensures pedestrian and cyclist safety (1 credit)

• Travel plan (1 credit)• Restricted parking (up

to 2 credits)

BREEAM Transport Credits

21

Access to public transport (2006)Ordnance SurveyGazetteer and location data© Crown Copyright

500m network distances from public transport nodes

PeakService

Daytimeservice

City centre office space

100% 100%

Out of town office space

11% 77%

Commuting and business travel (2006)

Office location

Proportion using each mode

Kg CO2 per person per

year weighted by mode Source

Car driver (inc taxi)

CarPass’r Train

Motor-cycle

Walk/bike Bus

England 69% - 8% 1% 14% 7% 272 DfT (2008) Transport Statistics GBSouth-West 76% - 2% 1% 15% 5% 298

Temple Quay 27% 11% 17% 4% 19% 27% 114 Travel survey data from Bristol Council

and Orange plc

City centre 47% 6% 2% 2% 19% 21% 187 2001 Census

Bristol Out-of-town

Orange 79% 7% - 2% 6% 7% 311 Orange plc

Clevedon 57% 4% 1% 1% 15% 2% 224

2001 Census

Portishead 63% 5% 0% 1% 11% 1% 248

Ham Green 55% 4% 0% 2% 18% 2% 216

Aztec West 76% 6% 0% 1% 9% 4% 299

Almondsbury 77% 5% 0% 1% 6% 4% 303

Parkway 66% 6% 2% 1% 9% 7% 260

Brabazon 71% 6% 1% 4% 12% 4% 280

BBP 70% 6% 4% 2% 10% 5% 276

Dist travelled each year on commuting / business (km)

2,285 304 439 26 51 109DfT (2008) Transport

Statistics GB

CO2 emission (kg/km) 0.1710 0.0855 0.0486 0.0872 0 0.0762 National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory

Annual CO2 emission by mode (kg)

391 26 21 2 0 8

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eDist

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Total Access Time

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FrequencyAccess Index Total

Zz 1 325 4.06 41 16 8.05 0.75 12.86 2.33 1.17

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9 325 4.06 30 22 11.00 0.75 15.81 1.90 0.95

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41 325 4.06 31 21 10.65 0.75 15.46 1.94 0.97

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EDFsotherallEDFAI e __5.0maxmod

Walk time (mins) = Distance (metres) / 80 (metres per minute)

Waiting time (mins) = 0.5 * (660 mins / number of services)Additional waiting time is incorporated to reflect service reliability- Buses = 2 mins- Trains = 0.75 mins Range

of IndexBREEAM Credits

>= 2.00 1

>= 4.00 2

>= 8.00 3

27

Access to local amenities (2008)

28

ConclusionsWeighting• Despite CO2 emission per worker from building operation and

travel being comparable, there is a substantial difference in the credit-weighting allocated to each

• Under the current version of BREEAM for offices, only a maximum of 4% of the available credits can be awarded for ensuring the office location is environmentally sustainable

Model sophistication• Using the 2006 model parameters the results show that all city

centre locations and nearly all out-of-town locations receive maximum BREEAM credits

• Using the 2008 method there is little to distinguish one city centre location from another and, out of town, only one office location receives any credits

• It would appear from these results that the 2008 version of the assessment method is not able to discern intra-urban differences in the sustainability of office locations