Global airline representative body, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and design, engineering and project management consultancy company Atkins (part of the SNC-Lavalin Group) have developed a digital “toolkit” which will allow airports to estimate the embodied carbon from the construction of airport terminal buildings, runways and multistorey carparks. Embodied carbon refers to all the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the construction of buildings, including those from the extraction, transport, manufacturing, and the on-site assembly of the building materials, as well as from the operation and demolition of those buildings.

“Decarbonising aviation is the industry’s greatest challenge, and the industry is fully committed and making progress,” affirmed IATA senior VP operations, safety and security Nick Careen. “However, reaching net zero by 2050 will require collective efforts from the entire industry supply chain and from policymakers. Our collaboration with Atkins on this innovative digital toolkit will help airports meet their own objectives by providing a crucial platform to evaluate and reduce carbon impacts for new airport developments. By facilitating dialogue around carbon mitigation from day one of an airport development project, together we are making headway towards net zero aviation.”

Most embodied carbon calculation tools are designed for general buildings and are applied later in the design process. This IATA-Atkins toolkit is believed to be the first construction embodied carbon assessment system which is specifically focused on airport terminal buildings and designed to be applied very early in the design process. These two factors maximise its value to airport developers.

“Our embodied carbon advisory team has worked with IATA to develop a set of innovative industry tools, leading a mature aviation market into a challenging and previously unexplored area of embodied carbon assessment,” explained Atkins technical director aviation infrastructure Andy Yates.

“These tools allow clients to confidently explore the vital conversations around embodied carbon reduction as airports respond to the complex challenges that surround the sector’s net-zero goals. The tools have been developed by a multi-disciplinary team including architecture, airport planning, and structural design as well as carbon experts, ensuring a solution that understands the complexity and multi-faceted approach needed to assess embodied carbon.”

The toolkit was created with credibility, transparency and flexibility forming key elements in its development. This will allow it, and any of its underlying assumptions, to be adapted and adjusted in future, if need be.