Designing to Reduce the Carbon Footprint

Tuesday, January 31, 2023
By Hannah Ayala, Project Architect
In Sustainability, Design, Planning

Pace, Change, Adaptation, Pandemic; four words that have had so much meaning in the last three years. We are fortunate to have witnessed how fast things can change, and the urgency with which we can adapt - may it serve as the reminder that with a common goal - the whole world can change. Simply put, we need it to. New Year, new approach, because there is no new planet.

The harmful effects of C02 on our atmosphere and the link to devastating climate change is not new news. However, as building professionals we must not allow ourselves to grow tired of the urgency. According to the Carbon Leadership Forum, when choosing between upfront carbon emissions (also known as embodied carbon) and operational carbon emissions, it’s the upfront carbon emissions that we must urgently focus our attention on. Embodied Carbon is the CO2 from the manufacturing of building materials, transport of the materials to the job site, and construction practices used. While both categories of emissions are critically important, we know that there is room to continue to refine energy efficiencies in the future and reduce or eliminate operational carbon. Embodied Carbon, however, is happening right now and cannot be remedied later. According to the research done by Carbon Leadership Forum, the upfront embodied carbon emissions that go into a building is over four times more than the annual operational carbon output of a standard performance building in the first year and 20 times that of a high-performance building. We must choose to do things right the first time when it comes to carbon emissions. As of 2019, 30% of global carbon emissions are coming out of the building sector. With constantly increasing demand for materials to accommodate population growth, and the need for infrastructure updates, this issue certainly isn’t going away without our help.

Since our industry has seen a season of change, let’s take one more step and do our part to reduce the embodied carbon of our material selections in the new year.

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