Data and Design for Net Zero

How analytics is powering the next generation of sustainable buildings

Achieving net zero in construction is no longer just about material choice or architectural vision, it’s about data, digital modelling, and analytics. The 2025 Building Awards shortlist for the Net Zero Award showcases how data-driven insights and digital innovation are reshaping sustainability in the built environment. From regenerative design and embodied carbon modelling to digital twins and predictive performance analysis, these projects demonstrate how analytics now underpins both design and decision-making.

Digital twins and regenerative modelling

One of the standout finalists, Cundall’s Regenerative Twin study, illustrates how data science and simulation can transform carbon outcomes. Conducted with Morgan Sindall Construction and HLM Architects, the project modelled a South Wales secondary school’s design to achieve an 84% reduction in whole-life carbon and a 45% drop in annual energy use, all within budget. Using digital twin methodology, the study compared materials, energy strategies, and operational behaviours to test regenerative design principles in real time, providing a blueprint for data-led decarbonisation across education and public infrastructure.

Smart buildings and biophilic data

In London, EPR Architects’ OSMO development, a 166,000ft² net zero carbon office in Nine Elms Linear Park, combines sustainability, occupant wellbeing, and data integration. The 166,000ft² net zero carbon office uses 100% renewable energy and employs SmartScore Platinum technology to monitor and optimise energy use. Over 2,000 plants, rooftop gardens, and IoT-enabled systems create a feedback-rich environment where environmental and human data converge, making OSMO a living model of biophilic analytics.

Similarly, HB Reavis UK’s Worship Square uses continuous performance data to maintain its 89.7% BREEAM Outstanding rating (the UK’s leading sustainability certification standard) and achieve upfront embodied carbon far below national benchmarks. Its sustainable fit-out guide ensures data-driven compliance throughout the tenant lifecycle, extending accountability beyond construction.

Operational analytics and deep retrofit

Deep retrofit strategies are proving the value of performance measurement over replacement. Kier Property’s 19 Cornwall Street achieved an embodied carbon footprint of just 157kgCO₂/m², verified through LETI and NABERS data protocols. By embedding analytics from design to post-occupancy, the project demonstrates how data insights drive both carbon reduction and operational efficiency.

At a systems level, HMP Millsike, the UK’s first all-electric prison, uses energy data modelling to achieve 68% less energy use than comparable facilities. The project integrates building performance analytics with social design metrics such as daylight and wellbeing, demonstrating the holistic potential of data-informed public infrastructure.

Carbon intelligence and decision analytics

Perhaps the clearest example of data science in construction is Turner & Townsend alinea’s Embodied Carbon Calculator (ECC). Updated in 2025 to align with RICS Whole Life Carbon Assessment standards, the ECC links financial and carbon data, allowing over 400 cost managers to model and benchmark emissions alongside project costs. Endorsed by RICS and the Building Cost Information Service, the tool transforms cost planning into a dual carbon-and-cost optimisation process — effectively embedding sustainability analytics into mainstream project management.

Towards a data-driven built environment

From regenerative twins to carbon dashboards, the 2025 Building Awards finalists highlight how data is now the foundation of net zero progress. These projects prove that analytics, AI, and digital modelling aren’t peripheral tools, they are the mechanisms enabling collaboration, verification, and continuous improvement across the built environment.

For data scientists, this growing intersection between sustainability and analytics presents a unique frontier: one where data quality, model accuracy, and transparency determine not only the success of buildings, but the sustainability of the world they shape.

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