The four zeroes of an ideal sustainable stadium

Zero New:

The Zero New Principle is proposed as the most effective sustainability principle for stadiums and the whole built environment sector. It reframes the current common climate and sustainability response of ‘build better’ to ‘use what we already have better’.

Zero New prioritises the elimination of any new construction of stadiums unless no other viable option is available to meet human and industry needs. It focuses on maximising the functionality, service life and adaptability of existing infrastructure. This significantly reduces the need for raw material extraction, resource usage, labour, technology and waste production from the design and construction.

Where new interventions are unavoidable, the emphasis should be on carefully targeted retrofit and renovation using already existing resources, materials and products. Before deciding to build a new stadium, analysis of old and nearing demolition or end-of-life buildings and stadiums should be done to explore possibilities of adaptive reuse. Reducing demand for new stadiums through occupant and community behavioural change interventions can promote increased utilisation of existing infrastructure.

Zero Disharmony/Disruption:

The Zero Disharmony Design Principle is proposed to embrace a holistic balance between nature, people and the building. It extends the ‘zero’ framing from quantifiable outputs such as carbon, water, energy and waste to a qualitative systemic state of harmony between buildings, people and nature.

This principle emphasises alignment of the stadium with the social, cultural, infrastructural and ecological aspects of a place. This can be achieved by minimising disruptions and conflicts between the stadium and the local communities, existing buildings and natural ecosystem.

A Zero Disharmony design will integrate well with the local environmental conditions (climate, geography etc.), local identity (values, culture, tradition etc.) and local knowledge (practical skills and wisdom developed by indigenous communities through long-term interaction with their environment). Its functions will align with traditional land and water management strategies while supporting natural cycles and ecosystems.

Zero Carbon:

The Zero Carbon Principle applies to both new and existing stadiums, emphasising that no construction, operation and maintenance activity emits net carbon dioxide. It is achieved across Scope 1,2 and 3 emissions through: 1) eliminating embodied (upfront carbon, use stage embodied carbon, end of life carbon) and operational carbon; and 2) enhancing beyond the lifecycle benefits of the stadium (recycling and respurposing materials and products).

Transition towards Zero Carbon starts from raw material extraction, processing and manufacturing of building products. The principle of Zero New will support the elimination of carbon from these processes. In new stadiums, the design stage is crucial as the majority of future emissions are determined here, which aligns with the principle of Zero Disharmony. In addition, the carbon footprint associated with digital and technological systems, analysis and simulation processes, and other operational resources during the design stage should also be considered.

Achieving net zero in construction starts from sustainably transporting building materials, products, equipment and labour to and from construction sites. On-site operations such as energy and water for operating machinery, curing, dust suppression, site cleaning, along with temporary facilities have to be considered. Temporary materials like packaging, formwork and scaffolding, and minimising and reusing of construction waste are other important areas to be considered.

The Zero Carbon Principle in existing stadiums emphasises 100% renewable energy sources for powering all HVAC, lighting and equipment. Consumables to contracted services should be from sustainable sources and procured through sustainable supply chain practices. Any remaining emissions, instead of offsetting, should be reduced through insetting and community-level decarbonisation, which reduces the stadium’s net impact and Scope 3 emissions.

Zero Carbon also extends beyond the lifecycle benefits of the stadium through easy recovery and reuse of materials and components to use them in other buildings. This eliminates embodied carbon associated with raw material extraction, processing and manufacturing of new building materials.

Zero Waste:

The Zero Waste Principle emphasises the elimination of waste from all phases of a stadium’s life cycle. It transforms how the built environment engages with resources, materials and processes by prioritising designing out of waste and rethinking how resources are selected, used and recovered. Every material or by-product generated at any stage serves as a resource for another product or process either in its original form or through efficient recycling or recovery.

This principle encompasses zero construction waste, zero operation waste and zero demolition waste. During construction and operation, zero waste focuses on using minimal, required and most appropriate materials and resources so that no waste is produced. Circular practices for keeping materials in continuous circulation through reuse, repairs, recycling and recovery and making sure all consumables are reusable are crucial.

Designing for disassembly and reassembly supports the reuse and recovery of materials and products at the end of life of stadiums. Having clear instructions on how to use each material or product at its end of life in its current functionality or with minimal change is the most important factor to achieve zero waste.