Identifying ways to reduce embodied carbon in large construction projects

Success Story: Manchester Airport  

• £1.3bn  TRANSFORMATION PROGRAMME 

• UP TO 40%  REDUCTION IN EMBODIED CARBON DURING CONSTRUCTION OF TERMINAL 2’s NEW PIER 

Manchester Airport is currently in the midst of a landmark £1.3 billion Transformation Programme that will introduce new spacious facilities and state-of-the-art technologies to its expanded Terminal 2.  

As part of its CSR Strategy, Manchester Airport Group (MAG) is committed to developing a methodology for assessing and reporting the embodied carbon of all of its large construction projects. 

In collaboration with its construction partners, MAG has now concluded an initial pilot that will be used to help assess future capital projects and identify opportunities to reduce embodied carbon.  

One notable improvement that has already been integrated into the Transformation Programme is the adoption Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) principles, which ensure that components arrive at site pre-assembled.  

During the construction of Terminal 2’s new pier (the most significant new structure being built as part of the Transformation Programme) this approach avoided 149 tonnes of embodied carbon – equivalent to the average carbon footprint of more than 18 typical UK homes. This, in combination with other cutting-edge techniques, will reduce embodied carbon emissions in the pier’s construction by up to 40%.