Most clients commissioning “net zero buildings” in 2026 are buying something significantly less ambitious than they believe. The gap between marketing language and technical compliance is wide — and getting wider as more frameworks compete for the same label.
UKGBC Net Zero Carbon Buildings Framework, LETI Climate Emergency Design Guide, and RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge all define net zero differently. UKGBC focuses on regulated energy only; LETI includes unregulated energy and embodied carbon; RIBA 2030 sets operational targets without mandating embodied carbon limits. A building can be “net zero” under one framework and fail another. The only way to give clients an honest answer is to specify which framework governs the project at appointment — and document it. Retrofitting a framework after design completion is expensive and usually results in offsetting rather than genuine performance.