Written by STO Building Group’s SVP of Building Repositioning, Brooks McDaniel
Buildings cause a large share of the world’s carbon emissions. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that the building industry accounts for around 28% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 40% of global energy consumption. One crucial element in combating climate change is lowering the building sector’s carbon emissions.
A repositioning project can significantly reduce operational carbon—the greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels to heat, cool, and power buildings. Modern, energy-efficient building systems, appliances, lighting, and façade can significantly reduce a building’s energy consumption compared to its pre-existing counterpart. The secondary advantage of this is lower operating costs.
Building materials’ embodied carbon contributes significantly to overall emissions as well. Experts refer to the greenhouse gas emissions from manufacturing, shipping, and assembling construction materials as embodied carbon. The two most energy-intensive materials in the built environment, steel and concrete, contain the majority of the embodied carbon in a building’s construction. Most of the embodied carbon is preserved and used as the foundation for the subsequent iteration when the structure of an existing building is kept intact rather than being demolished and replaced with a new one.
This strategy also aligns with broader goals of urban sustainability, as reusing and repurposing existing buildings can limit urban sprawl and preserve cultural or architectural heritage. In a time when both climate and economic pressures are shaping the future of real estate, repositioning buildings to boost occupancy is a smart, efficient, and environmentally responsible approach to reducing carbon impact in the built environment.
