British Antarctic Survey, Rothera

In January 2017, BAM Nuttall appointed Sweco as designers to support the British Antarctic Survey's £100M Antarctic Infrastructure Modernisation Programme (AIMP). This investment by the UK government is the most significant in polar science since the 1980s and will help the UK maintain its position at the forefront of environmental research. Within the AIMP, facilities at Rothera, Antarctica will be substantially modernised, including the construction of a new Operations Building and the upgrade of existing buildings and infrastructure.

Given the sensitivity of the Antarctic landscape and BAS’ leading position in climate, biodiversity and ocean research, sustainability was identified as a key performance indicator for the project. A crucial objective within the overarching AIMP Sustainability Strategy is the minimisation of whole life carbon associated with all projects, including the application of PAS 2080 Carbon Management in Infrastructure.

To manage carbon more effectively, we are combining our expertise with an industry-leading Life Cycle Assessment tool - One Click LCA - to quantify and manage whole life carbon emissions associated with the project. The consistency, accuracy and efficiency offered by the tool enables better integration with the design process and more informed decision making.

Data visualisation techniques, such as the depiction of carbon intensity by material type and life cycle stage are also utilised to communicate carbon ‘hotspots’ and the whole life carbon impact of design decisions.

The Rothera Modernisation project is ongoing, and Sweco’s Carbon & Sustainability Team continue to implement the PAS 2080 methodology, including monitoring whole life carbon emissions and encouraging a multi-disciplinary focus on carbon reduction throughout project development.