Climate Emergency Design Guide
The London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI) is a network of built environment professionals working together to put the UK on the path to zero carbon. In January 2020, LETI published Climate Emergency Design Guide: How new buildings can meet UK climate change targets in response to the growing climate emergency.
The guide outlines requirements for new buildings to ensure climate change targets are met. It sets out a journey towards a net zero carbon future and is aimed at developers, landowners, designers, policy makers and the supply chain.
- Operational energy.
- Embodied carbon.
- The future of heat.
- Demand response.
- Data disclosure.
It includes requirements for four key building types:
- Small-scale residential.
- Medium/large scale residential.
- Commercial offices.
- Schools.
The guide will evolve over time, reflecting changes in carbon budgets, technologies and the capability of industry. Design teams will be able to register their projects as LETI pioneer projects and share their knowledge with other design teams.
Peter Clegg, Senior Partner at Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios said: “Following the recent declarations of climate and biodiversity crises, a new sense of urgency has emerged within the environmental movement in architecture. It is characterised by an awareness of embodied as well as operational energy. It is focused on cradle to cradle lifecycle assessment of our buildings, and it is driven by the passion and enthusiasm of a new generation of architects and engineers who are determined to make change happen. The London Energy Transformation Initiative sits at the heart of this movement and their guide provides an inspirational ‘call to action’ for everyone in the built environment.”
Hywel Davies, Technical Director at CIBSE said: “Delivering zero carbon buildings is a huge challenge. LETI has taken a major step to help the industry to work out how this is to be done for new buildings.”
You can download the guide at: https://www.leti.london/cedg
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
- Architects Declare.
- A zero-carbon UK by 2050?
- BREEAM.
- Carbon footprint.
- Carbon negative.
- Carbon neutral.
- CIBSE Case Study: Walgreens net zero energy drugstore.
- Climate Change Act.
- Climate emergency.
- LETI publishes Climate Emergency Retrofit Guide.
- Low or zero carbon technologies.
- Nearly zero-energy building.
- Net zero carbon 2050.
- Net zero carbon building.
- Passivhaus.
- PHribbon tool calculates embodied carbon of designs.
- Stagnation point.
- What we need for the journey to net-zero carbon emissions.
- Zero Bills Home.
- Zero carbon homes.
- Zero carbon non domestic buildings.
Featured articles and news
A case study and a warning to would-be developers
Creating four dwellings for people to come home to... after half a century of doing this job, why, oh why, is it so difficult?
Reform of the fire engineering profession
Fire Engineers Advisory Panel: Authoritative Statement, reactions and next steps.
Restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminster
A complex project of cultural significance from full decant to EMI, opportunities and a potential a way forward.
Apprenticeships and the responsibility we share
Perspectives from the CIOB President as National Apprentice Week comes to a close.
The first line of defence against rain, wind and snow.
Building Safety recap January, 2026
What we missed at the end of last year, and at the start of this...
National Apprenticeship Week 2026, 9-15 Feb
Shining a light on the positive impacts for businesses, their apprentices and the wider economy alike.
Applications and benefits of acoustic flooring
From commercial to retail.
From solid to sprung and ribbed to raised.
Strengthening industry collaboration in Hong Kong
Hong Kong Institute of Construction and The Chartered Institute of Building sign Memorandum of Understanding.
A detailed description from the experts at Cornish Lime.
IHBC planning for growth with corporate plan development
Grow with the Institute by volunteering and CP25 consultation.
Connecting ambition and action for designers and specifiers.
Electrical skills gap deepens as apprenticeship starts fall despite surging demand says ECA.
Built environment bodies deepen joint action on EDI
B.E.Inclusive initiative agree next phase of joint equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) action plan.
Recognising culture as key to sustainable economic growth
Creative UK Provocation paper: Culture as Growth Infrastructure.
Futurebuild and UK Construction Week London Unite
Creating the UK’s Built Environment Super Event and over 25 other key partnerships.
Welsh and Scottish 2026 elections
Manifestos for the built environment for upcoming same May day elections.
Advancing BIM education with a competency framework
“We don’t need people who can just draw in 3D. We need people who can think in data.”

























