Early Stage Design Decisions and their impact on Whole Life Carbon

Summary

Please note: this event is for over 18’s only.

Join us for an insightful CPD session delivered by Catherine Sinclair of Space Architects, exploring their innovative open-access digital tool and the research behind its development.

This session will introduce an easy-to-use design tool that helps professionals make more informed and sustainable decisions during the design process. Built on robust research, the tool supports better understanding and reduction of environmental impact within projects.

Good early design decisions can reduce whole-life carbon by up to 40%. D-CARB ensures these decisions are informed and aligned with best practice from the outset. D-CARB supports architects, engineers, and clients. It sits within Revit and provides immediate whole-life carbon analysis, allowing users to test options and assess carbon implications as their design evolves. Whole-life carbon is locked in long before a building is constructed. Choices made during concept and feasibility stages influence material use, structural solutions, and operational performance for decades. D-CARB supports this stage of the process by bringing clarity where uncertainty is usually highest. With carbon insight available from the start, design teams can explore alternatives with confidence and avoid the hidden carbon costs that often emerge later.

Attendees will gain valuable insight into how the tool works in practice, along with the thinking and methodology that shaped its development. As an open-access resource, it has been created to encourage widespread use across the industry. In return, Space Architects are keen to gather feedback from users to help refine and enhance its effectiveness.

Whether you’re interested in sustainability, digital innovation, or improving your design approach, this session offers a great opportunity to learn, engage, and contribute to a more sustainable built environment

Please note that all email reminders and webinar follow up information will be sent through Eventbrite. Please check your junk folder and add Eventbrite to your safe sender list to avoid missing any communications regarding this webinar.

This learning activity can contribute to your annual CPD return and should be logged accordingly.

Catherine Sinclair of Space Architects

Architect, Passivhaus Designer, and Head of Research at SPACE Architects, Catherine Sinclair leads the practice’s pioneering work in whole-life carbon reduction. After recently winning the Constructing Excellence Future Leader award and being named a 2024 RIBA Rising Star, her research and leadership continue to gain national recognition. It is helping redefine how architects approach design in the context of the climate emergency, bridging academic rigour with practical application in the studio.

Her work positions her as part of a new generation of architects translating climate ambition into measurable action, with a particular focus on equipping others with the tools and confidence to act early, when design influence is greatest.

Awards:

Women in Construction and Engineering (WICE) Awards 2026: Environment and Sustainability (finalist)

YAPF Young Professionals Awards 2025: Future Leader (winner)

Constructing Excellence National Awards 2025: G4C Future Leader (winner)

Constructing Excellence North East Awards 2025: G4C Future Leader (winner)

RIBA Journal’s Rising Star 2024

https://www.spacegroup.co.uk/shift/speakers/catherine-sinclair

Papers:

Adaptability of concrete blocks, reinforced with recycled plastics: circular construction approach from the UK - International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation

The Integration of Early Stage Life Cycle Analysis into Architectural Practice Through An IT Supported Process - Proceedings of the 2024 European Conference on Computing in Construction

Online Platform

The webinar will be held using MS Teams. Before the session, you will receive an email from Eventbrite containing a link to complete your registration on Teams. After registering with Teams, you will receive the link for joining the webinar.

Time Zones

The webinar is being advertised in the GMT time zone, but you can easily see the local time for the webinar using World Time Buddy: www.worldtimebuddy.com/.

Contact

Diane Moore

Member Services and Events Coordinator

[email protected]

How can we help you get the most out of this event? We want to ensure accessibility for all of our members. Please contact us in confidence prior to attendance and we will do our best to answer any questions and support any additional needs you may have.

CIOB Assist

The webinar is free for CIOB members to attend, but if you would like to make an optional donation to CIOB Assist you can do this during the registration process.