Anil Sawhney, Ph.D. PMP FRICS FHEA
Anil Sawhney is the Global Lead for the Construction and Infrastructure Sector at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Anil is a construction and infrastructure sector expert, an educator, a researcher, and a Construction Tech enthusiast. In his role at the RICS, he is involved in producing the construction and infrastructure sector’s body of knowledge, standards, guidance, practice statements, education, and training.
Decarbonizing the Built Environment—the Role of Data and Standards
Decarbonizing the built environment is imperative to address the climate crisis, as the sector generates 47% of global CO2 emissions annually. The operation of existing built assets is responsible for 27% of these emissions, while construction materials, products, on-site operations, and other construction industry-related emissions account for an additional 20%. The business-as-usual approach cannot continue, and as stewards of construction information, we must deploy our expertise to decarbonize cost-effectively. Using the ICMS standard as a backdrop, this session explores the role of data and information management in calculating the whole life carbon of built assets. ICMS provides an integrated taxonomy for life cycle costs and carbon emissions. ICMS can allow project teams to evaluate various carbon-reducing alternatives for new and existing built assets when connected with design workflows. In this session, we will discuss the role of data and standards in decarbonization.
Learning objectives:
- The importance of decarbonization for the built environment sector
- Integrating the decarbonization workflow with design and cost workflows so that data is shared and information exchange requirements are met
- What is missing from the digital (BIM, CDE, QTO tools, etc.) toolkit?
- What are some of the upcoming carbon-related regulations and their implications on our sector (e.g., SEC ESG reporting requirements, NYC Local Law 97, etc.)
- How will the recent developments, especially in the US, the Inflation Reduction Act, help with our decarbonization efforts?