Ingenious Real Estate has announced the successful completion of ISCA Gardens, a residential development for rental in Exeter. The scheme achieved an upfront embodied carbon score below the target embodied carbon limits in the UK Net Zero Carbon building standard (UKNZCBS), and below the threshold set under Ingenious’ Carbon Impact development loan programme. The development delivered this through having no basement floors, low carbon foundations that replaced traditional concrete (Vibro stone), and a lightweight, efficient steel frame and cladding with carbon efficient MEP services.
Launched in January 2025 in partnership with Construction Carbon, the Ingenious Carbon Impact facility offers our borrowers rebates on debt funding costs when projects meet embodied carbon targets. The initiative aims to accelerate the adoption of lower-carbon construction practice across the UK residential sector.
ISCA Gardens, a five-storey apartment building with a Gross Internal Floor Area (GIFA) of 7,168 m², is among the first completed developments to demonstrate the programme’s effectiveness. Construction Carbon completed a Whole Life Carbon Assessment at early design stage and at Practical Completion, assessing the project’s embodied carbon throughout the construction process. The assessment was carried out in accordance with RICS Whole Life Carbon Assessment guidance and industry best practice.
The result highlights how informed material selection, efficient design and robust carbon management can help developers reduce embodied carbon while maintaining a project’s commercial viability. With growing focus on embodied emissions from investors, regulators and occupiers, the project also demonstrates the role financial incentives can play in supporting more sustainable development.
Tom Brown, Managing Director, Real Estate at Ingenious, commented: “ISCA Gardens demonstrates the success of what we set out to achieve when we launched our Carbon Impact development loan programme. By linking funding incentives to measurable carbon outcomes, we wanted to encourage developers to make lower-carbon choices without compromising the viability of their projects.
“The successful completion of ISCA Gardens below its embodied carbon target is a significant milestone, showing how transparent carbon measurement and reporting can deliver meaningful environmental benefits alongside the delivery of much needed new UK housing. We look forward to supporting more developers as they seek to reduce embodied carbon and deliver the next generation of sustainable homes.”
Gilbert Lennox-King, CEO at Construction Carbon, said: “ISCA Gardens is an excellent example of how carbon data can be embedded into the development process from the outset. Giving project teams visibility of embodied carbon throughout construction enables better decision-making and helps drive lower-emission outcomes. This project demonstrates how accurate carbon assessment, combined with financial incentives, can provide a practical route for developers to improve sustainability performance and reduce emissions across the built environment.”
The completion of ISCA Gardens marks an important milestone for Ingenious’ Carbon Impact programme and reinforces the firm’s commitment to supporting sustainable residential development across the UK.
