Sidebar: The Urgency of Embodied Carbon and What You Can Do about It
Takeaways: Embodied Carbon
- Embodied carbon is an urgent issue because the emissions we release in the next 20 to 30 years are critical to keeping global temperatures at tolerable levels.
- The simplest approach to reducing embodied carbon is to use less material: consider reusing materials or whole buildings, and with new materials, make sure you’re using only as much as you really need.
- Whole-building life-cycle assessment is the preferred way to measure and manage embodied carbon and other embodied impacts.
- The structural system is the biggest contributor to embodied carbon, and engaging the structural engineer early can help with reductions.
- The enclosure system has a big impact as well and is under the direct control of the architect or designer.
- Any project team can reduce embodied carbon without significant costs.
