Our industry has made significant strides in decreasing operational carbon within buildings, a true achievement. However, this is not enough. A holistic assessment of carbon emissions associated with the built environment must consider and reduce embodied carbon as well.
Embodied carbon is the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated throughout the life cycle stages of a material or building, encompassing extraction, manufacturing, construction, utilization, and demolition.
Embodied carbon accounts for a significant percentage of global emissions. Materials used in the construction of buildings represent about 7% of total global GHG emissions per the Carbon Leadership Forum. And while operational carbon is produced through the life of the building and can continually be decreased by ongoing energy efficiency efforts, embodied carbon is “baked” into a building project on day one. As buildings approach net zero operational carbon emissions, embodied carbon emerges as the principal contributor to the overall carbon footprint. Therefore, it is imperative to implement deliberate measures aimed at reducing embodied carbon emissions.
Embodied carbon impacts have often been overlooked by both the AEC industry and regulators. This is starting to change.
Cities such as Cambridge and Newton have already embraced whole-building embodied carbon reporting requirements within their zoning frameworks, with Boston poised to follow suit through its recently proposed updates to the Zero Net Carbon Zoning requirements. The State of Massachusetts has also begun legislative efforts to mandate embodied carbon emissions reporting and potential reductions, aligning with regulations already passed by California and Washington D.C.
We can help! We’re positioned to identify strategies and opportunities for lower carbon solutions. Our Whole-Building Life Cycle Assessment (wbLCA) services will allow for your project to quantify and reduce embodied carbon, meet corporate or regulatory requirements, and meet LEED goals.
Currently, a plethora of viable strategies exist for reducing embodied carbon. The efficacy of these strategies, and consequently their potential for substantial reduction, is maximized when integrated into the early stages of design and construction processes.
Foremost among these strategies is the reuse of existing materials to the fullest extent feasible. By eliminating the need for manufacturing new materials, the embodied carbon emissions associated with the entire A1-A3 life cycle stages of a material are effectively eliminated.
In instances where material reuse is not feasible, the next best strategy entails minimizing material usage. Simply put, less materials used means less embodied carbon. This reduction can be realized through various project-level strategies, including site selection that avoids soil stabilization requirements, optimization of building shape and structure, and the implementation of thinner floor slabs, among others.
The building’s end-of-life needs to be considered as well. Designing for disassembly facilitates material recycling and reuse, thereby perpetuating a circular economy within the building and construction industry.
Following these measures, teams should prioritize the use of low-embodied carbon materials, with a primary focus on materials that contribute the highest amount of embodied carbon, such as concrete, steel, aluminum, and insulation. Subsequent optimization should extend to include materials like gypsum board, carpets, CMU walls, and doors.
To assess impacts associated with design choices and inform decision-making we can conduct a Whole-Building Life Cycle Assessment (wbLCA) to quantify and track materials and to test lower-carbon alternatives. This level of analysis is required by LEED and regulators alike.
So, please contact us to learn more and to explore how we can collaborate to support your current and future needs as we tackle this time-critical challenge.
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