In 2021, the Building for Climate Change team developed a proposed technical methodology for assessing the embodied carbon of new buildings in New Zealand.

The proposed methodology has since been reviewed by technical experts and has now been updated to reflect the feedback we received, improving the quality and robustness of the document. While it is currently not a regulatory document, it is intended to be a high-level technical basis for the proposed future regulation of embodied carbon of buildings. The document has been published on the Building Performance website, and is available below. 

Whole-of-Life Embodied Carbon Assessment: Technical Methodology

The methodology is intended to support the consistency of embodied carbon assessments of buildings in New Zealand, enabling early adopters to incorporate the methodology in their own processes. It is also intended to introduce embodied carbon assessments to those parts of the sector that may be less familiar with the concepts.

We have also been developing a technical methodology for assessing the operational efficiency of new buildings in New Zealand. We will be in touch again later this year to let you know when this has been published.

Ngā mihi nui, The Building for Climate Change team

Source: MBIE