Preoptima, a disrupter in sustainable building design, has announced the award of a £300,000 grant from Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

The grant will fund the development of Preoptima’s Planning Application Carbon Evaluation and Reduction (PACER) platform, an advanced cloud-based tool designed to help local authorities reduce the whole life carbon (WLC) footprint of building projects. Awarded as part of the prestigious Net Zero Living Digital Accelerator, this grant underscores Preoptima’s commitment to spearheading the digital transformation in the built environment sector.

In partnership with Westminster City Council, a leading London local authority in carbon reduction, Preoptima will develop PACER to provide a fast, reliable, and precise platform for evaluating WLC assessments. This will facilitate a verifiable and transparent planning application review process for carbon, leading to a significant reduction in the WLC footprints of newly approved building designs. This crucial development will empower local authorities, the custodians of a low-carbon built environment, to meet stringent carbon emissions budgets more effectively, as they work to align with national Net Zero commitments.

PACER addresses the current lack of tools for precisely and consistently quantifying carbon impact across the extensive planning documents reviewed by local authorities. The innovation is set to radically streamline the assessment process and unlock the potential for significant carbon savings in the construction industry, starting by addressing the UK built environment’s 40% stake in annual emissions.

The introduction of PACER complements Preoptima’s existing product suite, including Preoptima BUILDING, which enables stakeholders to make informed design choices with a clear understanding of their carbon impact, ultimately facilitating the creation of accurate WLC reports for planning applications. PACER will further simplify the validation of these reports, enabling the approval of buildings with lower WLC footprints.

“This grant marks a pivotal moment for our team. It’s a testament to the hard work and dedication that goes into making Preoptima a catalyst of change in the industry” said Aileen Ryan, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Preoptima. “The support from Innovate UK is instrumental in realising our vision of decarbonising the built environment, and PACER is poised to be a cornerstone in this transformative journey.”

“PACER is the embodiment of our research transformed into action,”expressed Professor Francesco Pomponi, co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) of Preoptima. “It represents a fusion of cutting-edge digital tools and our deep commitment to sustainability, providing local authorities with a scientifically robust yet intuitively accessible platform for responsible carbon management in urban development.”

Preoptima’s forward-thinking approach is expected to scale internationally, offering other global governments the tools to embrace sustainable building practices and significantly reduce carbon emissions.