Sustainable design is not about choosing a single "green" material. It's about understanding the inherent qualities, tradeoffs, and performance characteristics of every material in your palette.

This seminar brings together industry specialists in concrete, steel, and timber to present the attributes, benefits, design considerations, and emerging innovations of each material system in the context of sustainable construction. A framing presentation on embodied carbon provides architects with a common analytical lens for evaluating material choices across the building lifecycle. A moderated panel discussion invites dialogue on how material selection integrates with whole-building sustainability strategies, helping design professionals make more informed, context-sensitive decisions.

Learning Objectives

Compare the environmental attributes, structural performance characteristics, and sustainability tradeoffs of concrete, steel, and timber as primary building materials.
Apply embodied carbon accounting principles to evaluate and communicate the lifecycle impacts of material selection decisions in sustainable building design.
Identify emerging innovations in concrete, steel, and timber production and specification that support reduced environmental impact and improved building performance.
Integrate material-specific knowledge into whole-building sustainable design strategies, selecting and specifying materials based on project context, performance goals, and lifecycle considerations.

Following the educational program will be a networking happy hour, sponsored by PCI Mountain States, the American Cement Association, the Colorado Mass Timber Coalition, and the American Institute of Steel Construction.