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The software has some superb features, including a ‘stability check’ to ensure the proposed design is suitably robust, a photorealistic rendering engine and an instruction-making tool to create assembly manuals in the same style as for the sets manufactured by Lego..

This means that embodied carbon is becoming a more important focus for the sustainable design of buildings..Typical operational and embodied carbon breakdown for medium scale residential for a standard building (left) and for an ultra-low energy building.

Passivhaus standard has always been focused on operational energy, and it is only in recent years that the focus has grown to both operational carbon emissions and the embodied carbon within the building..Operational carbon in sustainable building design.From an operational carbon perspective, Passivhaus’ low energy targets mean the dwellings are likely to achieve very low carbon emissions.

As a result, it becomes technically and financially feasible to offset any carbon emission through the use of building mounted, renewable technologies.This means that for certain types of residential buildings, it is possible to achieve net zero operational carbon without the need for a PPA.

For non-residential buildings however a PPA is still necessary.

Due to low energy demand, any price increases associated with PPA or offsetting, achieving net zero carbon becomes affordable..For each, the site-specific design activities can be focused on the placement of the buildings relative to each other, arranging orientation to minimise overlooking and overheating (for both the comfort of prisoners and to reduce energy use), maximise views of landscape, and so on.

It contributes to overall better design and allows designers to focus more of their efforts on solving the specific challenges relating to a particular site and context.Standardised solutions lend themselves to efficiencies in construction and the application of DfMA.

Operational benefits.Standardised solutions facilitate efficient operation and maintenance, as well as aiding staff and prisoner wayfinding and navigation.. A developmental process, an evidence-based approach.