August 29, 2023 - Decoding Carbon in Building Design - Presented by CLF Houston
Join us online Tuesday, August 29, 2023 for an AIA COTE presentation on embodied carbon in building design. CLF Houston co-founders...
Aug 8, 2023
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CLF Houston
CLF Houston is a local hub of the Carbon Leadership Forum. We organize local events that empower industry professionals to reduce embodied carbon from buildings and infrastructure.
A diverse mix of professionals are invited to join our events, including architects, engineers, contractors, sustainability consultants, material suppliers, building owners, policymakers, and others. Our events include informative presentations and interactive group discussions that address a range of topics relating to embodied carbon. We aim to build up local industry capacity to design and construct buildings and infrastructure that radically reduce embodied carbon.
CLF Houston is connected to the larger global network of the Carbon Leadership Forum, which brings together 5000+ professionals from 2500+ companies, 75+ countries, and 1000+ cities around the world.
Sign up for our mailing list to learn about upcoming events, and become a member of the Carbon Leadership Forum to join the online discussion with the global CLF community.
About CLF Vancouver
What is CLF?
The Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF) is accelerating the transformation of the building sector to radically reduce the embodied carbon in building materials and construction through collective action.
CLF pioneers research, creates resources, fosters cross-collaboration, and incubates member-led initiatives to bring embodied carbon emissions of buildings down to zero.
The CLF network is made up of architects, engineers, contractors, material suppliers, building owners, and policymakers who care about the future and are taking bold steps to decarbonize the built environment, with a keen focus on eliminating embodied carbon from buildings and infrastructure.
Currently, the network brings together 5000+ professionals from 2500+ companies, 75+ countries, and 1000+ cities around the world
Join the Online
CLF Community
The CLF Community online platform brings together thousands of professionals from across the building industry, from over 30 countries and 100 cities around the world.
As a member, you can interact with a global network of interdisciplinary experts, where you can post questions, find resources, connect with local hubs, join focus groups, to keep track of upcoming events.
To join the CLF Community online platform, become a member of CLF and and opt-in to join the online community when joining.
Events
Past Events
Videos
Past Presentation Videos
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EC101
Scale of Embodied Carbon Emissions
Globally, the building and construction sectors account for nearly 40% of global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in constructing and operating buildings (including the impacts of upstream power generation). Current building codes address operating energy but do not typically address the impacts ‘embodied’ in building materials and products. However, more than half of all GHG emissions are related to materials management (including material extraction and manufacturing) when aggregated across industrial sectors. As building operations become more efficient, these embodied impacts related to producing building materials become increasingly significant.
Significance of Embodied Carbon
Between now and 2060 the world’s population will be doubling the amount of building floor-space, equivalent to building an entire New York City every month for 40 years. Much of the carbon footprint of these new buildings will take the form of embodied carbon — the emissions associated with building material manufacturing and construction.
Embodied carbon will be responsible for almost half of the total new construction emissions between now and 2050.
Unlike operational carbon emissions, which can be reduced over time with building energy efficiency renovations and the use of renewable energy, embodied carbon emissions have irreversibly entered the atmosphere as soon as a building is built.
Certification Systems that Address Embodied Carbon
Through the MRc1: Building Life-Cycle Impact Reduction credit, projects can receive 1 LEED point just for performing an LCA study and up to 5 points for a 20% reduction in embodied carbon relative to a baseline building.
Through the MRpc132: Procurement of Low Carbon Construction Materials, projects can receive up to 2 LEED points for performing a building embodied carbon intensity study comparing a baseline building with data from University of Washington/Carbon Leadership Forum or other approved data providers and comparing to data supplied by third party verified Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for materials actually used on the project.
ILFI Zero Carbon Certification
Projects must demonstrate a 10% reduction in embodied carbon and not exceed 500 kgCO2e/m2, with remaining embodied emissions offset through an approved carbon offset provider.
ILFI Living Building Challenge - Energy Petal
Projects must demonstrate a 20% reduction in embodied carbon, with remaining embodied emissions offset through an approved carbon offset provider.
© 2022 Lovett Commercial
Commitment Programs that Address Embodied Carbon
Through the Structural Engineering Institute, structural engineers and firms commit to educating the structural engineering profession on sustainable design best practices, engage in embodied carbon tracking, report on regional impacts and trends, and advocate for clients, the design community, the AEC and development industries, and the public to build an understanding of embodied carbon and impacts of the built environment.
©2022 Memorial Park Conservancy
Gallery
Gallery from Past Events
Team
Meet Our Team
Suryabala Sah
Co-Founder
Sustainability Strategist
Gensler
Robert Rogers
Co-Founder
Vice President
Thornton Tomasetti
Nicholas Danney
Co-Founder
Associate
Walter P Moore
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