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CALGreen Embodied Carbon Series:

Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment for Code Compliance

1 LU | HSW / 1hr ZNCD MCE

Made in partnership with the SEAOC Sustainable Design Committee

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Learning Objectives

Review the fundamental principles and processes involved in WBLCA to enhance sustainable design practices.

Gain proficiency in conducting material quantity takeoffs to accurately measure building components for environmental impact assessments.

Interpret and utilize EPDs for informed decision-making on material selection based on their environmental footprint.

Explore tools that are compliant for completing the CALGreen WBLCA performance pathway.

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Housekeeping Reminders

3

Access to today’s recording will be made available on our website

Today’s session qualifies for 1 AIA HSW/LU & 1hr of ZNCD

Please use the Q&A function to ask questions for today’s presenters

Cultivate a positive learning environment

[Staff]

A few housekeeping reminders:

Today’s session is being recorded and can be made available on the AIA California website, aiacalifornia.org.

Today’s session qualifies for 1 AIA HSW learning units and 1hrs of ZNCD mandatory continuing education. For those who stay on and watch live, AIA CA staff will report these units for you and will send you a ZNCD certificate of completion in the coming days.

Please use the Q&A function to ask any questions for today’s presenters. You can also like a question to move it to the top of the queue.

Finally, cultivate a positive learning environment. AIA California strongly encourages attendees to be constructive in their comments and questions to the presenters (and to one another) to foster a positive learning experience for everyone.

I’d now like to introduce our co-moderators for this CALGreen Embodied Carbon series.

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4

Luke Lombardi, PE

Sr. Sustainability Consultant, Buro Happold

Avideh Haghighi, AIA, LFA

Associate Principal

Sustainable Design Lead, ZGF

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Laura Karnath, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C

Senior Enclosure Consultant, Walter P Moore

Isabelle Hens, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP, EIT

Environmental Designer, Atelier Ten

We are also lucky to be joined by Laura Karnath, Senior Consultant at Walter P Moore and co-leader of the CLF-LA hub, and Isabelle Hens, Environmental Designer at A10, both will be sharing their perspectives with project examples and information about resource groups forming to support whole building LCA.

[omit]

Laura Karnath a Senior Enclosure Consultant at Walter P Moore. As a senior enclosure consultant at Walter P Moore’s Los Angeles office, she consults on projects with complex facades to assist design teams in achieving their design, performance, and sustainability goals and supports firmwide embodied carbon reduction initiatives and performs whole building life cycle assessments for a wide range of project types and scales. Laura also co-leads the Los Angeles hub of the Carbon Leadership Forum.

Isabelle Hens is an Environmental Designer at Atelier Ten in San Francisco. She is a key member of the Carbon Practice, which helps project teams quantify and reduce embodied and operational carbon, and also leads the Envelopes Working Group, which studies building envelopes at the intersection of embodied carbon, operational carbon, and occupant experience. Much of her work focuses on embodied carbon research and sustainable design due to her background in engineering, architecture and sustainability.

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Q&A Help!

John O’Hagan

SEAONC SDC

Forell Elsesser

Rachelle Habchi

SEAOSC SDC

Glotman Simpson

Anish Tilak

RMI

Amie Lewis

New Buildings Institute

6

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CALGreen Embodied Carbon Series

4-part series made in partnership with SEAOC’s Sustainable Design Committee

Feb. 21, 2024	Understanding the 2023 Embodied Carbon Amendments
Mar. 13, 2024	WBLCA for Code Compliance
Apr. 10, 2024	Implications of Material Procurement for Design Professionals (registration open!)
June 2024 [TBD!]	Building Reuse for Decarbonization and Compliance

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Refresher from last webinar

Starting July 2024
Non-residential buildings over 100,000 sf
Schools over 50,000 sf
Three compliance pathways

8

California Energy Codes and Standards: CALGreen Embodied Carbon Requirements Fact Sheet

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Is my project covered by the measure?

Public Schools (K-12), Community College >50,000 sf

Building types covered by CALGreen Non-residential Provisions and >100,000 sf

Industrial
Commercial Office
Retail
Lab
Private School (K-12)
University Academic (Public & Private)
Institutional / Civic

Public Schools (K-12), Community College <50,000 sf

Hospitals - pending OSHPD approval

Building types covered by CALGreen Non-residential Provisions and <100,000 sf

Building types covered by CALGreen Residential Provisions

Single Family Residential
Multifamily Residential
Hotel / Motel / Lodging
University Housing (Note that Public University Housing IS covered by Buy Clean CA)

Not Covered

Covered

RMI – Energy. Transformed.

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Today’s Outline

Introduction
How to Conduct a Life Cycle Assessment
How to Achieve a 10% Reduction
How to Demonstrate Compliance
Resources and Working Groups

10

Goal: Build confidence and learn LCA fundamentals to comply with CALGreen regulations.

Today’s program is all about Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment (WBLCA). Structural engineers and architects play a pivotal role in implementing CALGreen requirements effectively and shaping the future of sustainable construction. We will explore best practices and practical considerations for practitioners as well as tools and resources to ensure compliance.

There is a lot we can talk about with LCA. The focus of this presentation is to provide an overview of the topics needed to meet compliance for CALGreen. We are cognizant this can be a lot to take in for those new to the topic. This slide deck and associated resources will be made available, so you can access later. Additionally, there are groups where you can get help. We recommend following and engaging with your local CLF hubs, AIA, and SEAOC committees.

In developing this presentation, it was clear that additional supportive webinars will be required. Given time constraints, we will not be going over some other embodied carbon 101 or some of the background climate science that is readily available in other resources.

[1 min]

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Example Template

Sample Building

Advanced Considerations:

Notes to practitioners looking for a deeper dive.

11

CALGreen

Reporting Template

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Reporting Template Submitted at Permitting

CA

Permitting

CD

DD

SD

Concept

Understand overall impact to inform system selection

Estimate and document reduction measures

*CALGreen

In Drawing or Specs:

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Many Contributors!

13

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Introduction

14

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Terms and Definitions

LCA Life Cycle Assessment

WBLCA Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment

EPD Environmental Product Declaration

GHG Greenhouse Gas

GWP Global Warming Potential

kgCO2eq unit of measure for GWP, i.e. “carbon”

15

Illustration: Laura Karnath

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LCCA

LCA

LIFE CYCLE COST ASSESSMENT

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT

16

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EMBODIED CARBON

‘GWP’

LIFE CYCLE COST ASSESSMENT

GLOBAL WARMING POTENTIAL

17

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Myths

Truths

An LCA costs too much (ie: eats into budget)

LIFE CYCLE COST ASSESSMENT

Specialized Expertise is needed to run an LCA

LCA typically cost a small fraction of project fees (< 1%)

Anyone can learn to do an LCA with a basic understanding

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An LCA takes too long to run (ie: eats into schedule)

I have to pay a certified consultant

Structural Engineers are not impacted by this code change

A typical LCA takes on the order of 40-80 hrs… not months

LCA does not require professional accreditation

Structural engineering is an integral part of project compliance

Talking points:

LCA in LEED: Common but Still Misunderstood

Concerns: Cost and Time

Feasibility: Skills Within Practitioners' Reach

Timeframe: Days, Not Months, Without Need for Third-party Consultants

Relevance to Structural Engineers: Applicability of CALGreen Code

Though LCA has been common practice in LEED for years, there are still many unfamiliar with the process and the unknowns can be…disconcerting. You may be tuning in worried about cost or time. Although there is some effort involved with doing this analysis, the skills needed are all well within the capabilities of today’s practitioners. This effort takes days, not months, and you don’t need a certified third party consultant. Lastly, though structural engineers are not commonly referencing the CALGreen Code, this does apply to you as an important team member to meet compliance.

[0.5 min]

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Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment

Illustration: C40 Knowledge Hub

New Buildings Institute

Talking points:

Understanding our impact

WBLCA is a performance approach

Made possible by LEED

Whole building life cycle assessment (WBLCA) is a modeling methodology that allows architects and other building professionals to understand environmental impacts associated with the following life cycle phases of the building: raw material procurement, manufacturing, construction, use and end of life.

The intent of these mandatory requirements is reduce embodied carbon emissions through holistic, performance-based approach that allows teams the flexibility to optimize through reduction options unique to each project such as partial reuse, design efficiency, alternative material selection, and procurement of low-carbon building products. It’s an evolution of building performance requirements similar to regulations for operational carbon.

This prescriptive approach is made possible by the framework developed and implemented by many practitioners via LEED. What is exciting is this requires documented reduction and necessitates ACTION by designers.

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Embodied Carbon Calculation

20

Material Quantity

CO₂e rate per unit

X

=

CO₂e Quantity

GWP Intensity

(kgCO2e / functional unit)

100 tons of steel

Quantity

(functional unit)

GWP

(kgCO2e)

1,000 kgCO2e

per ton of steel

100,000 kgCO2e

X

=

Equivalent to driving the circumference of the world ~10 times

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How to do an LCA

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Steps of a Whole Building LCA

22

Goal and Scope

Inventory

Impacts

Results

AIA-CLF EMBODIED CARBON TOOLKIT FOR ARCHITECTS

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

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Step 1: Goal and Scope

Goal: Compliance with CALGreen

Mandatory = 10% reduction

Study Period: typically 60-years

This will be the same for every CALGreen project.

23

System Boundary

Goal and Scope

Inventory

Impacts

Results

CLF EMBODIED CARBON 101

Physical Scope

LCA Scope

Impacts

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Step 1: Goal and Scope

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System Boundary

Goal and Scope

Inventory

Impacts

Results

CLF EMBODIED CARBON 101

Physical Scope

LCA Scope

Impacts

Eutro…

Ozone

Carbon (“GWP”)

Acid…

Land Use

Water

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Life Cycle Assessment Scope

25

Cradle-to-Grave

CALGreen Required Scope

*Optional

New Buildings Institute

System Boundary

Physical

LCA

Impacts

Cradle-to-Gate

LCA Scope refers to the stages of a products life. We have a framework of terminology to communicate this scope consistently:

Scope A1-A3 characterizes the manufacturing of a product. You may of heard this referred to as “Cradle to gate”. Transportation to site and construction are known by A4 and A5, respectively.
Scope B defines the use of a building over its lifetime
and Scope C defines what happens at the end of life

CALGreen requires whole life carbon, so carbon emissions from each stage of life be included in accounting. Assumptions based on available data are incorporated by an LCA tool. However, some tools may only have data for cradle-to-gate and do not have data for the remaining stages. This limits which tools are code compliant.

The D-stage occurs outside the life of the building, such as reuse and recycling. This is typically reported separately and not required in CALGreen.

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Life Cycle Assessment Scope

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*Optional

Graphic by Buro Happold

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Physical Scope

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Required

Substructure

Superstructure

Enclosure

Interiors

MEP

Site/Landscaping

Optional

Superstructure

Substructure

Enclosure

Image from Atelier Ten (2024)

CALGreen Required Scope

Substructure

Superstructure

Enclosure

Interiors

MEP

Site/Landscaping

Optional:

Interiors

MEP

Site/Landscaping

System Boundary

Physical

LCA

Impacts

Physical Scope Definition: Specifies what is physically included or excluded in the LCA model.

Based on LEED Requirements: Focus on structure and enclosure, highlighting the need for architect and structural engineer collaboration.

Optional Elements: Mechanical systems and interiors are optional, not mandatory.

Physical scope is what is physically included or excluded from your model. CALGreen is modeled off of LEED requirements, which includes the structure and enclosure--making collaboration between architects and structural engineers so important. Other elements of a building such as mechanical systems or interiors are optional, but not required. The term whole building LCA is a little bit deceiving as it refers to the LCA scope, not the physical scope.

A full list of Omniclass elements will be provided in the CALGreen Guidance on AIA’s website. One example of where the line is defined is with the facade: CALGreen defines the interior skin, i.e. gypboard, as part of the facade to be included. However, you wouldn’t be required to include the paint finish, which is part of the interiors.

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29

Required

Substructure

Superstructure

Enclosure

Interiors

MEP

Site/Landscaping

Optional

System Boundary

Physical Scope

LCA Scope

Impacts

Enclosure

Structure

Interiors

MEP

Site

Carbon (GWP)

A

B

C

Eutro…

Ozone

Acid…

Land Use

Water

D

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Example

30

Goal and Scope

Inventory

Impacts

Results

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Example

31

x

Physical Scope

LCA Scope

60

Goal and Scope

Inventory

Impacts

Results

Study Period

Impacts

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Example

Model floor area is the gross floor area consistent with the architectural drawings.

Biogenic carbon storage associated with wood products shall be excluded or reported separately from embodied carbon reductions.

32

x

60

Atelier Ten

03/2024

DD

One Click LCA. 0.24.1

n

25,000

Goal and Scope

Inventory

Impacts

Results

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Product Inventory

33

Material Quantity

CO₂e rate per unit

x

=

CO₂e Quantity

BoQ.xlsx

Request of contractors

GWP Intensity

(kgCO2e / functional unit)

Quantity

(functional unit)

GWP

(kgCO2e)

Goal and Scope

Inventory

Impacts

Results

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Toolbox

Revit plug-ins for LCA

Revit material takeoffs

Material takeoffs from Contractor

Spreadsheet calculations (supplemental)

Advanced Considerations

Perform QA/QC to confirm:

Quantities make sense (e.g. curtain wall mullions, steel deck)
Everything is modeled (e.g. rebar, vapor barrier)

Elements contributing less than 1% need not be considered in the analysis.

34

Goal and Scope

Inventory

Impacts

Results

3” metal deck or…

…3” metal deck?

Source of building quantities

Supplement BIM data

Use ASHRAE 240P thresholds

Vet quantities for accuracy

Ensure consistency with professional judgment

Building quantities can come from a number of sources such as drawing takeoffs or contractor provided quantities, but most commonly today this information is captured in a BIM model. Because our Revit models only capture what is drawn, it is often important to supplement these quantities with some calculations for products like rebar that aren’t modeled. You don’t have to count every bolt, and drive yourself crazy. The threshold proposed by ASHRAE 240P is any building element contributing more than 1% of the cost or mass of the building or structural element representing more than 5%.

It’s also critical to vett quantities to insure accuracy. Mistakes often happen at assemblies like composite decks or foundations modeled as a mass. Make sure results are consistent with your judgement. Otherwise, you can end up with vary different results for a 3in metal deck.

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Example

35

Goal and Scope

Inventory

Impacts

Results

Scope	Material	Item Description	Quantity	Unit
Foundation	Concrete	Elevator pits, pile caps, piles, grade beams (Mix #1 - 5000 PSI 70% SCM)	3,800	CU YD
Foundation	Concrete	Slab on Grade (Mix #2 - 5000 PSI 40% SCM)	37,800	CU FT
Foundation	Steel and Metals	Reinforcing - Level 1, Pile caps, grade beams	1,524,854	LBS
Foundation	Steel and Metals	Reinforcing - Misc	1,628	LBS
Structure	Steel and Metals	Reinforcing - Slab on metal deck	104,265	LBS
Structure	Steel and Metals	Metal deck (18 Ga)	72,460	LBS
Structure	Steel and Metals	Misc metal deck steel support	7,000	LBS
Structure	Steel and Metals	Misc metal steel framing	606,306	LBS
Structure	Concrete	Slab on Deck (Mix #3 - 4000 PSI 25% SCM)	167	CU YD
Enclosure	Steel and Metals	Aluminum Extrusions / Curtain Wall Framing (Hydro)	585,111	LBS
Enclosure	Steel and Metals	Aluminum Plate /Weather & Shadow Box Panels (Pohl)	30,941	SQ FT
Enclosure	Steel and Metals	Aluminum Plate / Copper Anodized Finish Panels (Pohl)	74,601	SQ FT
Enclosure	Glass	Curtain Panels - Glass IGU	92,462	SQ FT
Enclosure	Concrete	Curtain Panels - Precast Concrete	9,586	CU FT
Enclosure	Insulation	Curtain panels - semi rigid insulation	9,764	CU FT
Enclosure	Gypsum, Plaster, and Cement	Roof - gypsum board	36,255	LBS
Enclosure	Insulation	Roof - rigid insulation	43,000	SQ FT
Enclosure	Steel and Metals	Roof - metal stud layer	1,533	LBS
Enclosure	Plastics, Membranes, and Roofing	Roof - TPO roof	43,000	SQ FT
Enclosure	Steel and Metals	Exterior doors - anodized aluminum	750	LBS
Enclosure	Glass	Exterior doors - glass	2,040	SQ FT
Structure	Concrete	Concrete Columns (6000 PSI)	511	CU YD
Structure	Concrete	PT Slab (6000 PSI)	4,600	CU YD
Structure	Concrete	Shear walls (6000 PSI)	1,778	CU YD
Structure	Concrete	Slab on Metal Deck (4000 PSI)	133	CU YD
Structure	Steel and Metals	PT Slab Reinf.	2,210,760	LBS
Structure	Steel and Metals	Shear Wall Reinf.	2,373,630	LBS
Structure	Steel and Metals	Slab on Metal Deck Reinforcing	7,200	LBS
Structure	Steel and Metals	Misc Reinforcing	773,766	LBS

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Example

36

Goal and Scope

Inventory

Impacts

Results

100,000 ft²

Mineral wool insulation

100 tons

Fabricated hot-rolled steel sections

1,000 CY

Concrete 5000 psi

1,000 CY

Concrete 6000 psi

*generic numbers for representation only

Quantity

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Embodied Carbon Calculation

37

Material Quantity

CO₂e rate per unit

=

CO₂e Quantity

x

GWP Intensity

(kgCO2e / functional unit)

Quantity

(functional unit)

GWP

(kgCO2e)

Goal and Scope

Impacts

Results

Inventory

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Environmental Product Declarations

EPDs are LCAs of Products
Third Party Verified
ISO 14044 & EN 15804
Avoids Greenwashing
EPDs can be Industry Average or Manufacturer / Plant / Product Specific

38

Building Transparency

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Life Cycle Scope

39

EPD

LCA Tool

New Buildings Institute

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Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)

Product-Specific

Industry Average

40

Steel Tube Institute

Baseline Model

Two types of EPDs: Industry average and product-specific.

Industry average EPDs: Compiled by industry organizations, represent average impact data.

Product-specific EPDs: Published by manufacturers, detailing individual product impacts.

Industry EPDs used for baseline analysis; product-specific EPDs demonstrate reductions from average.

There are two types of EPDs… Industry average EPDs are developed by industry organizations like NRMCA or AISC, who collect data from their constituents and share the average impact. Product specific EPDs are published by the individual manufacturers for their product. This is like if you have a class of students who take a test, the industry average would be the class average and product-specific would be the individual test scores. Industry EPDs are applied to your baseline analysis, whereas product-specific EPDs can be used to prove a reduction from the average.

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NRMCA LCA Report 2022

41

NRMCA (2022)

51 Plants

8,000psi Average: 349 kgCO2/CY

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Product Specific Example

42

8,000 psi

Normal weight

211 EPDs

322

EC3

NRMCA Avg.

(SW Region, 8,000 psi)

349 kgCO2e/yd3

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Example

43

Goal and Scope

Impacts

Results

Inventory

1,220 kgCO₂e/ton

AISC (2021) Fabricated

hot-rolled sections

378 kgCO₂e/m³

NRMCA Pacific Southwest

Regional Baseline

401 kgCO₂e/m³

NRMCA Pacific Southwest

Regional Baseline

100 tons

Fabricated hot-rolled steel sections

1,000 CY

Concrete 5000 psi

1,000 CY

Concrete 6000 psi

GWP Intensity

100,000 ft²

Mineral wool insulation

3.33 kgCO₂e/m²

at RSI-1

NAIMA (2018) Mineral wool board

Quantity

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Example

44

1,220 kgCO₂e/ton

378 kgCO₂e/m³

401 kgCO₂e/m³

100,000 ft²

Mineral wool insulation

100 tons

Fabricated hot-rolled steel sections

1,000 CY

Concrete 5000 psi

1,000 CY

Concrete 6000 psi

3.33 kgCO₂e/m²

at RSI-1

GWP

Goal and Scope

Inventory

Impacts

Results

122,000 kgCO₂e

289,002 kgCO₂e

306,586 kgCO₂e

41,435 kgCO₂e

Assuming R-7.6 (RSI-1.34)

x

Unit conversion

→

Unit conversion

GWP Intensity

Quantity

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Example

45

1,220 kgCO₂e/ton

378 kgCO₂e/m³

401 kgCO₂e/m³

100,000 ft²

Mineral wool insulation

100 tons

Fabricated hot-rolled steel sections

1,000 CY

Concrete 5000 psi

1,000 CY

Concrete 6000 psi

3.33 kgCO₂e/m²

at RSI-1

Goal and Scope

Inventory

Impacts

Results

Baseline Enclosure GWP

Baseline Structure GWP

717,588 kgCO₂e

41,435 kgCO₂e

Sum

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Example

* based on simplified and limited example calculation

LCA tool will output values for all stages

46

x

60

Atelier Ten

03/2024

DD

One Click LCA. 0.24.1

n

25,000

717,588

41,435

759,023

Goal and Scope

Inventory

Impacts

Results

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Embodied Carbon Calculation

47

Material Quantity

CO₂e rate per unit

=

CO₂e Quantity

x

GWP Intensity

(kgCO2e / functional unit)

Quantity

(functional unit)

GWP

(kgCO2e)

Goal and Scope

Results

Inventory

Impacts

Transportation

Waste

End of Life

Other aspects to LCA

Consider transportation, distance, and waste in LCA analysis.

Default assumptions may need adjustments based on accurate project info.

Specific transportation methods can significantly affect LCA results in unique cases.

Importance of sensitivity testing for project uncertainties.

While the simple calculculation is useful when teaching the basics of LCA, it is important to mention other input factors to an analysis. This could include transportation mode and distance or on-site waste factors. Although in the majority of cases, default assumptions may be appropriate--this might not always be the case! As more accurate information is known about the project, the analysis should be updated. In some cases, such as transportation of mass timber, this can impact your results. We had a project where the facade was flown, rather than taken by rail, to site and the emissions associated nearly lost the sustainability goal of the project. User discretion is advised and it can also be a good practice to test the sensitivity of results if there is a known uncertainty on the project.

(omitted)

anecdote that architects understand is on-site waste (because it’s regulated under LEED). With the waste factors used in OneClick or recommended in 240P, the ‘material quantity’ used in the calculation might be different than the installed material quantity.

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How to Achieve a 10% Reduction

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How to Get 10% Reduction

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Set a Baseline

Evaluate Reduction Measures

Run Proposed LCA

Repeat

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

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Baseline must maintain “functional equivalence”

Project of comparable:

Size (Gross floor area)
Function (e.g. office)
Complexity
Type of Construction
Material Specification
Location

Option 1 - Using the proposed building analysis

Option 2 - Using an energy model

Option 3 - Using early stage or alternative design models

Option 4 - Using a benchmark or archetype building

50

Set a Baseline

Evaluate Reduction Measures

Run Proposed LCA

Repeat

Baseline

“Conventional”

Conventional design (Business as usual)
Industry Average EPDs

Material Quantity

GWP Factors

CALGreen

Measure a 10% reduction against a baseline.

Baseline definition: Considered as a conventional building in the region, following CALGreen's "functional equivalence" terms.

Ensure comparable size, function, complexity, type, material specification, and location.

Standards under development (e.g., ASHRAE 240P, SEI pre-standard) aim for consistency.

Use judgment and industry best practices for baseline setting.

Future benchmarks

We have to measure a 10% reduction against a baseline

Setting a baseline is perhaps the most tricky point of discussion at this moment in time because current standards allow for user interpretation. To make this simple, you can think of it as a conventional building in that region. If you weren’t doing this analysis, what would be built? CALGreen lays out the terms of what’s called “functional equivalence” between the baseline and proposed LCAs. Your models must be of comparable size, function, complexity, type, material specification, and location. While this is still vague, there are standards under development, such as ASHRAE 240P and the SEI pre standard to support standardization, to ensure consistency.

For now, we must act according to our judgement and standard of industry best practice. So an example might be a proposed office building. Often the desired column free spaces of this program lends itself to steel construction, so you might have a steel design with industry average EDPs for the hot-rolled sections and typical concrete strengths for the deck, foundations, etc.

While the rules for comparison may say “material specification” must remain consistent, the guidelines for the code clarify that buildings of different of different materials may be considered for reduction--like mass timber as an alternative to steel.

Ultimately, I think we can expect benchmarks will be developed such that a baseline is set similar to Title 24 in the energy code. Such efforts are underway with groups like CLF and SE 2050.

(omit)

For now, what is accepted is largely based on “Standard of Care” of the practitioner--which we will get into now!

https://oneclicklca.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360017024299-LEED-Baseline-Strategies

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Time Dependent Nature of Decisions

Set a Baseline

Evaluate Reduction Measures

Run Proposed LCA

Repeat

1

2

Measurable and Documented

Carbon Reduction Opportunity

Green Construction Board

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Baseline Model - Hot Spot Analysis

What are the biggest contributors to my emissions?

52

Image by Buro Happold

(A4-A5, B, C)

LW Deck

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Baseline must maintain “functional equivalence”

53

Good Practice

Comparative studies to evaluate carbon

Set a Baseline

Evaluate Reduction Measures

Run Proposed LCA

Repeat

Design Optimization

Buro Happold, Embodied Carbon Sensitivity Study

System Selection

Optimize Bay Size

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Baseline must maintain “functional equivalence”

54

Set a Baseline

Evaluate Reduction Measures

Run Proposed LCA

Repeat

Design

Buro Happold, Embodied Carbon Sensitivity Study

System Selection

Bad Practice

Set a baseline of a system that would never be used on a project.

Ask: “If no study was done,

how would the building be built?”

Ask: “If no study was done,

how would the building be built?”

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Baseline must maintain “functional equivalence”

55

EC3

Concrete Foundation Mix

Set a Baseline

Evaluate Reduction Measures

Run Proposed LCA

Repeat

Procurement

322

Good Practice

Engage your GC and ready-mix supplier. Document requirement in a performance specification.

NRMCA Avg.

(SW Region, 8,000 psi)

349 kgCO2e/yd3

-8%

Comparison to Industry Average

Identifying lower carbon products through procurement can be done through engaging the GC and suppliers. Concrete is the most common example of this. By working with ready-mix suppliers, you can reduce the cement content--the most carbon intensive constituent of concrete--to lower embodied carbon. NRMCA and AIA have a really nice video called The Top Ten Ways to Reduce Concrete’s Carbon Footprint.

Communication is key. I had a project recently where I wasn’t expecting much improvement from a precast supplier. After sending an introductory email explaining the goals of the project, they turned out to be great collaborators and shared the flexibility they had depending on seasonal set time.

To claim this reduction on a project, it’s necessary to either have documented product-specific EPDs or make GWP performance part of the project specifications. The reduction must be measurable and documented.

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Baseline must maintain “functional equivalence”

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Bad Practice

Arbitrarily select the lowest available product without coordination or documentation

EC3

Set a Baseline

Evaluate Reduction Measures

Run Proposed LCA

Repeat

Procurement

172

NRMCA Avg.

(SW Region, 8,000 psi)

349 kgCO2e/yd3

-50%

Concrete Foundation Mix

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Baseline must maintain “functional equivalence”

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Bad Practice

Arbitrarily select the lowest available product without coordination or documentation

EC3

Set a Baseline

Evaluate Reduction Measures

Run Proposed LCA

Repeat

Procurement

172

NRMCA Avg.

(SW Region, 8,000 psi)

349 kgCO2e/yd3

-70%

Concrete Foundation Mix

Bad Practice

Artificially inflated baseline from the highest GWP product

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Baseline must maintain “functional equivalence”

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Potential Reduction Measures

Set a Baseline

Evaluate Reduction Measures

Run Proposed LCA

Repeat

Reduce the amount of concrete and steel: consider other structural systems where feasible.

Reduce amount of cement in concrete mixes.

Make the structure as efficient as possible.

Reduce skin to floor area ratio.

1

2

Non-exhaustive list! Be creative!

Optimize structural bay size
Limit long cantilevers and column transfers
Scrutinize heavy loading requirements
Optimize concrete mix strength
Select lower embodied carbon insulation materials
Reduce skin to floor area ratio
Optimize facade support structure

Specify GWP limits and require EPDs (Type III) demonstrating compliance
Engage ready mix concrete supplier

Concrete Example:

If concrete makes up 60% of your embodied carbon, a 20% reduction means 12% reduction on your project!

50%

-20%

-10%

x

=

Concrete Contribution

Reduction Potential

Overall

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Time Dependent Nature of Decisions

Set a Baseline

Evaluate Reduction Measures

Run Proposed LCA

Repeat

Image by Atelier Ten

CALGreen Min. 10%

1

2

Structural Optimization

Steel Procurement

1

2

Reduction Measures:

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Emery Yards B2

Project Info

Location Emeryville, CA

Building area 270,681 ft²

Program Lab and office

Project type New construction

Status Construction in progress

Team

Client BioMed Realty

Architect Flad Architects

LCA Atelier Ten

Structural Forell | Elsesser Engineers

WBLCA Parameters

Scope A1-A4, B1-B5, C1-C4

Boundary Substructure, superstructure, enclosure

Service life 60 years

Phase CA

WHOLE BUILDING LCA

Image by Flad

Image by Atelier Ten

Embodied Carbon Reduction Strategies

Concrete embodied carbon reduction
Insulation procurement
Steel and rebar procurement

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Example

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9,000,000	500,000	700,000	50,000	200,000	9,700,000
2,400,000	20,000	300,000	1,600,000	70,000	4,100,000
11,300,000	500,000	1,000,000	1,700,000	300,000	13,800,000

7,100,000	500,000	700,000	50,000	200,000	7,900,000
2,300,000	20,000	300,000	1,600,000	60,000	3,900,000
9,400,000	500,000	1,000,000	1,600,000	300,000	11,800,000

14%

10%

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Time Dependent Nature of Decisions

Set a Baseline

Evaluate Reduction Measures

Run Proposed LCA

Repeat

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Myths

Truths

Getting locally sourced materials is sufficient to get 10% reduction.

LIFE CYCLE COST ASSESSMENT

Transportation typically is the least impactful category in an EPD, and therefore will have minimal impact in a WBLCA.

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We can artificially choose a worst case scenario baseline.

LCA only has to be done at the end of the project.

The baseline is set by what is considered conventional for the building type.

To ensure 10% reduction, LCA needs to be done during design process.

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How to Demonstrate Compliance

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Example Timeline for Embodied Carbon Tools

CA

Permitting

CD

DD

SD

Concept

Inform goal setting with targeted LCA studies

Track material procurement

Refine material selections and run Whole Building LCA

Understand overall impact to inform system selection

Estimate and document reduction measures

*CALGreen

It’s important to pick the right tool for each stage. There are a lot of tools out there. Some, like Epic or Kaleidoscope, may be helpful early in design to understand the overall impact of your project and assess design decisions that are most important. Others, like EC3, have an extensive EPD library and are great for tracking material procurement. However, only tools that include data for Scopes B and C meet the compliance requirements of CALGreen. As previously stated, compliance must be met at the time of permitting and included in the drawings and/or Division 1 specifications.

To reinforce some of Avideh’s points, the best practice is to do iterative modeling throughout design stages. There is a significant risk in waiting to do an LCA until CDs or end of construction because the potential to influence design and procurement are diminished. Left without considering embodied carbon at permitting and the only compliant pathway will be the prescriptive path where you have to purchase more products with a GWP limit. This has greater risk to cost and schedule that coordinating up front.

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Tools

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Tool	CALGreen Compliant	Cost	Scope	Excel Import	Revit Integration
OneClick LCA	Yes	Paid		Yes	Yes
Tally	Yes	Paid		No	Yes
Athena	Yes	Free			No
GaBi (uncommon for buildings)	Yes			Yes	No
SimaPro (uncommon for buildings)	Yes			Yes	No
OneClick LCA – Planetary	Yes	Free		Yes	Yes
EC3	No	Free		No
EPIC	No	Free		No	Not Applicable

B

C

B

C

B

C

B

C

B

C

B

C

Only

B6

(estimated)

*

Landscape continues to change as tools develop new resources and new tools become available. Currently, the three major tools that meet compliance: OneClick, Tally, and Athena. These tools have varying pros and cons as well as underlying assumptions and background datasets. Generally, you should not compare results across different tools. We’re not recommending any specific tools here, but do recommend discussing functionality with other practitioners when considering what tools best fit your workflows. There may be other tools that are useful. Not all are compliant with CALGreen and we need to understand what is going on under the hood to ensure accuracy and the results of our analysis are aligned with our intent.

GaBi and SimaPro meet the required ISO standards, but are more commonly used in LCA that are used to develop EPDs.

We will certainly have more webinars and discussions about the ins and outs of software tools in the future.

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Compliance Form

Needs to be included in

drawings or specs

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9,000,000	500,000	700,000	50,000	200,000	9,700,000
2,400,000	20,000	300,000	1,600,000	70,000	4,100,000
11,300,000	500,000	1,000,000	1,700,000	300,000	13,800,000

7,100,000	500,000	700,000	50,000	200,000	7,900,000
2,300,000	20,000	300,000	1,600,000	60,000	3,900,000
9,400,000	500,000	1,000,000	1,600,000	300,000	11,800,000

14%

10%

x

60

Atelier Ten

03/2024

DD

One Click LCA. 0.24.1

n

25,000

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Resources and Working Groups

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Learn more…

www.carbonleadershipforum.org

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Resources

Where to start:

FREE Calgreen code access
Local Energy Codes - CALGreen Fact Sheet
AIA + CLF Toolkit for Architects

Where to learn more:

Coming Soon:

CALGreen State Supplementary Guidance (pending)
ASHRAE 240P (public review)
SEI Pre-Standard for Assessing the Embodied Carbon of Structural Systems for Buildings (pending)

—We covered a lot, but can’t cover everything in one webinar so we are sharing some resources on embodied carbon and LCA. There are a lot of great resources out there, these are just a few. Links will be posted in the chat. First is a link to the code. And if you’re just getting started on your embodied carbon journey, the AIA and the Carbon Leadership Forum worked together to publish a three part embodied carbon toolkit for architects.

– A lot of these resources ar from Carbon Leadership Forum, which is an organization dedicated to reducing embodied carbon in buildings and building materials. they produce research and resources related to the topic of embodied carbon, and it’s a great first stop if you want to learn more about embodied carbon and LCAs. CLF has local hubs in many cities where professionals from across the AEC industry gather to share knowledge.

When you’re ready to dive into LCA, the CLF has also published an LCA practice guide.

To understand embodied carbon baselines for individual materials, you can check out the most recent CLF material baselines report, which gathers industry average embodied carbon data for a variety of materials in one report.

– For structural engineers, SE2050 and ISTRUCTE have published guidance and strategies to help structural engineers calculate and reduce embodied carbon.

—We’re also sharing some additional embodied carbon intro resources and resources related to embodied carbon and materials. If you’re interested in a deep dive on wood and biogenic carbon, check out CLFs wood carbon seminars

—There are also some resources that are currently under development. There will be supplementary guidance for the CALGreen embodied carbon measures. Stay tuned for that. ASHRAE 240p “Quantification of Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions” is a standard that is under development - it is currently up for public review. SEI is also working on a prestandard for assessing the embodied carbon of structural systems.

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LCA User Groups

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Boston

Seattle

Los Angeles LCA User Group - Coming soon!

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Closing Remarks

CarbonBrief

You’ve probably all seen figures like this relating to climate change with the sharp decline in emissions this decade. While it can feel overwhelming, it’s crucial to recognize our agency as a collective industry to make an impact. This moment calls for broad reaching policies and the actions of individuals like yourself to act and implement necessary change. It doesn’t happen by magic, and it doesn’t happen by doomerism any more than blind hope. CALGreen is indicative of the future we know must come to be. It is progress, not perfection, but a framework to build upon for that future. It’s validation that architects and engineers have an important role to play in this transition, and a shift in focus from arguing why we should design better buildings to HOW we can achieve more ambitious goals. Engaging and encouraging discourse on the topic is a step on the pathway. And I appreciate everyone taking the time to be here and change our industry for the better.

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Time for Q&A

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appendix

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Notes / Questions

Follow up webinars

Common Questions

Baselining

BIM modeling
Facade LCA
LCA tool nuances (user group meetings)

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Introduction

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Embodied Carbon Calculation

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Material Quantity

CO₂e rate per unit

X

=

CO₂e Quantity

GWP Intensity

(kgCO2e / functional unit)

100 tons of steel

Quantity

(functional unit)

GWP

(kgCO2e)

1,000 kgCO2e

per ton of steel

100,000 kgCO2e

Equivalent to driving the circumference of the world ~10 times

X

=

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Steps of an LCA

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Goal and Scope

Inventory

Creating the inventory for a WBLCA requires the collection of the types and quantities of materials that are a part of the physical scope defined in Step 1.

Impacts

Results

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Structural Example

Building Area = Gross Floor Area

Consistent with Architectural Drawings

Toolbox:

LCA Revit plugins
Revit schedules / quantities
Supplemental hand calculations in Excel

Advanced Considerations:

Calculated area from BIM plugins are not always accurate. Verify with arch GFA.

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Image: Buro Happold BHoM Tool

alternate

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Revit Plugins and BIM Integration

Naming conventions
Material labels
Multi-layered elements (e.g. facades)
Hollow objects

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OneClick: Short Guide to BIM Modelling for LCA automation

future webinar

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Facade Takeoff

Estimate area by facade type
Complete a typical unit takeoff by type
Scale up quantities by area

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image of a building with one facade panel taken out

future webinar

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What is your QAQC process?

Elements to Check:

Building weight
Structure tonnage
Composite deck assembly
Foundation modeling
Non-modeled elements
Typical breakdown of proportions

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Image: Thornton Tomasetti

Image: Buro Happold

future webinar

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What happens when something’s not modeled?

Elements that are often not modeled:

Rebar
Steel connections, base plates, misc. steel
Topping slabs
CMU walls
Wood joists
[add your own]

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Practitioner Note:

How detailed do I need to be?

Elements contributing less than 1% need not be considered in the analysis.

future webinar

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Steps of an LCA

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Goal and Scope

Inventory

Impacts

Material quantities from Step 2 are multiplied by environmental impact factors for each respective material, and the results are summed for the whole building.

Results

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CLF 2023 Material Baselines

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We should be using the latest industry average in your baseline

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Other LCA Inputs

Transportation
Replacement
End of life

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future webinar

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Steps of an LCA

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Goal and Scope

Inventory

Impacts

Results

Study analysis for errors, implement reduction strategies, and document conclusions toward the goal defined in Step 1.

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May not be a straight line

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Goal and Scope

Inventory

Impacts

Results

recreate ?

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How to Achieve a 10% Reduction

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Identify and replace

high impact building materials.

Concrete

Steel

Insulation

Carpet

future webinar

out of scope

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Examples of what NOT to do

HFC Regulation UPDATE

Do not…

artificially inflate the baseline

compare unrealistic scenarios, e.g. you have a building that will be a PT slab, but you compare to conventional

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Time Dependent Nature of Decisions

The earlier you tackle embodied carbon, the bigger the potential savings!

Set a Baseline

Evaluate Reduction Measures

Run Proposed LCA

Repeat

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hot spot analysis from baseline
consistency: use the same tool and approach

Planning

reused elements, e.g. facade reused, steel reused

Design

optimization

Procurement

concrete mix
low-carbon products

other topics

change management
biogenic carbon
“collaboration is key” everyone says that, but what does it mean… give precast example

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Harness the power of�solar chemistry and biology�to capture carbon emissions.

Strawbale

Hemp

Agricultural Waste

Bacteria

future webinar

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11%

10%

2%

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future webinar

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future webinar

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101

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Baseline LCA: Results per Division, Itemized by Material

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Proposed LCA: Results per Division, Itemized by Material

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Standards for Life Cycle Analysis for Buildings

ASHRAE 240P
SEI pre standard
Future benchmarks from databases like SE 2050 and AIA 2030’s DDX

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future webinar

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Potential Strategies for Embodied Carbon Reduction:

Non-exhaustive, non

Design

Planning

Partial building reuse
Facade reuse
Foundation reuse
Material reuse

System optimization
Nonlinear seismic analysis
Foundation optimization (e.g. soil design criteria, soil improvement)

Procurement

Low-carbon concrete procurement
Steel procurement

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1

2

3

future webinar

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Mix Design Optimization Example

Tools:

https://nrmca.climateearth.com/

future webinar

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Steel

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future webinar

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Where is the Embodied Carbon? - Facades

aluminum and glass primarily

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future webinar

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RMI Cost Comparison

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Material Reduction (not overall):

RMI, “Low-Cost, High-Value Opportunities to Reduce Embodied Carbon in Buildings”

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Case Study Examples

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examples we want to cover…

use written examples

material reuse … e.g. steel beam reuse
Design optimization

mass timber
hollow precast

Concrete mix design
Steel procurement

…pull from https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1MiqdaPXFkWuTchz0DpQ7Gr166aYqyuCxlJEJSrwQAHY/edit?usp=sharing

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Architect: Lake|Flato + KSS Architects

BH Services: Structural engineering, MEP engineering, AV/IT, Security, Lighting Design

Contractor: Gilbane (GC), Nordic Structures (Timber Design Assist and Fabricator)

Program: Teaching, Research (Dry Lab), Auditorium, Office spaces

Project Scale: 6 stories, 120,000 ft², 230’ x 78’ floor plate

Budget: $100M

Amy Gutmann Hall

University of Pennsylvania

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Life Cycle Assessment – Embodied Carbon

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+40% Reduction in Embodied Carbon