Negotiating net-zero carbon: An ant analysis of two buildings

The request for a net-zero carbon (NZC) building poses a major challenge for project teams. As a goal, the concept is both ambitious and underspecified. While much of the literature treats NZC building as a problem of standard setting, technical specifications and management protocols, actor–network theory draws attention to the 'messiness' that project team members face. This paper explores how project teams on two non-domestic new builds in the UK engaged with the concept of NZC. The research relies on semi-structured interviews with key project team members and documentary analysis. The analysis draws attention to the central role of inscriptions in rendering carbon visible, to the role of negotiable and non-negotiable constraints and to the overflow of discussions from a focus on carbon to a myriad of competing concerns. The analysis identifies three distinct negotiation processes – coordinated overflow, nomadic overflow and contentious overflow – and draws attention to the distinctive role of inscriptions in each. PRACTICE RELEVANCE The NZC concept has recently moved up the list of client requirements for non-domestic UK buildings. This paper explores the challenges that project teams faced on two building projects. Key findings concern the overlay of different, often conflicting, project goals and the importance of framing and inscription devices in managing those tensions. The analysis highlights the need for project teams to take into account: the range of assumptions and risks hidden in carbon calculations; the knock-on effects of carbon relevant design choices; the role of inscriptions and visual representations in framing carbon relevant decisions; and the overlay of distinct and sometimes conflicting concerns. Implications are drawn for standards, visual representations of carbon, project roles and professional training.