Evans, S.; Steadman, P.; Neto-Bradley, A.; Humphrey, D.; Liddiard, R.; Shamsi, H.; Palmer, J. and Simons, G. (2026) Nine 'myths' about the building stock of Great Britain. Buildings & Cities, 7(1), pp. 704-721. ISSN 2632-6655
Abstract
The National Buildings Database (NBD) has been delivered to the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). This covers the complete population of 2.2 million non-domestic premises and 30 million dwellings in Great Britain (but not Northern Ireland). Each is modelled in detail, in three dimensions, using the 3DStock method. Actual annual meter data are attached. This paper outlines some of the myths about the building stock—its composition, representation, age, total floor area, activity classification and energy use—that the authors have encountered in their 20 years of working on stock models, consumption of energy and strategies for decarbonisation. The NBD can dispel these myths and the confusion they cause if they are unknowingly perpetuated. Nine myths are described and disproved based on arguments and data from the NBD. Light is thrown on the true nature of the British building stock, in particular non-domestic and mixed-use buildings. New perspectives and methods of analysis are possible with a database that covers all buildings. POLICY RELEVANCE The NBD has been designed to support better evidenced development and targeting of policies and regulation on buildings. It allows for specific segments and subsets of the stock to be analysed. The rich detail combining geometry, building attributes, and activity allows for policy options to be developed and assessed based on the actual premises and their features. The spatial nature of the data allows for localised energy planning and decarbonisation action. Some of the 'myths', if acted on, could lead to wasteful or misdirected policies. Examples are given, including one that directly illustrates a case of the NBD being used to correct previous policy assumptions. The NBD makes it possible to avoid these dangers. Data from the NBD have been made publicly available, so that local authorities, community groups, and consulting and industrial firms can have a firmer statistical basis on which to make policies and plans.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | building stock; census; geospatial; mixed-use; myths; national building stock models; non-domestic buildings; retrofit; spatial data; spatial mapping |
| Index terms: | geometry, population, energy use, Northern Ireland, database, local authority, mapping, dimension, spatial data, strategy, non-domestic building, net zero, building stock, regulation, stock model, option, consumption |
| Subjects: | energy systems, mathematical modelling, asset management, management, decision analysis, demography, data management, sociology, physical geography and landforms, health monitoring assessment and metrics, economic analysis, consumer economics, construction type, spatial and geospatial analysis, political science |
| Topics: | Governance, Research Practice, Digital Applications, Geographical Context, Risk Management, Health and Safety, Stakeholder Management, Business Strategy, Construction Technology, Urban Studies, Sustainability |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here