Low- and no-cost measures can significantly reduce embodied carbon in mid-rise commercial office, multifamily, and tilt-up-style buildings, according to Rocky Mountain Institute.
Whole-building design, material substitution, and specification strategies can chop embodied carbon by 24% to 46% in those building types at cost premiums of less than 1%, the Institute says. A recent report by the Institute focused on carbon embodied in structural elements, which accounts for about 80% of a structure’s embodied carbon.
Whole-building design can have the biggest impact on embodied carbon, the report says. Material substitution and specification can also result in substantial embodied carbon savings, especially when targeting carbon-intensive materials such as concrete and steel.
A building’s structure and substructure typically make up the largest sources of up-front embodied carbon—as much as 80%. But the relatively rapid renovation cycle of building interiors associated with tenancy and turnover can account for a similar percentage of emissions over the lifetime of a building.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Jan 17, 2020
Several states with ambitious climate goals will have to restrict natural gas as a fuel
Buildings would have to heat and cook with electricity.
Codes and Standards | Jan 16, 2020
New solar-ready mandate affects commercial and residential buildings in St. Louis
All new buildings must have reserved rooftop sections for PVs.
Codes and Standards | Jan 15, 2020
Trump Administration blocks new light bulb efficiency standards
Move defies bipartisan 2007 law.
Codes and Standards | Jan 14, 2020
L.A.’s expedited permitting process credited with faster approvals on $1 billion project
Parallel Design-Permitting Process includes flagging elements for correction during conceptual design.
Codes and Standards | Jan 13, 2020
Kansas City is first in nation to offer free public transportation
Aim is to increase mobility to spur more economic activity.
Codes and Standards | Jan 9, 2020
Dept. of Defense will require beefed up cybersecurity standards in January
All contractors will have to demonstrate secure practices.
Codes and Standards | Jan 8, 2020
2019 Oregon Zero Energy Ready commercial code will boost efficiency by 14%
ASHRAE 90.1 is the basis for new code that went into effect Oct. 1.
Codes and Standards | Jan 8, 2020
Energy efficiency initiatives have significantly cut energy consumption per square foot
Lighting and space heating fell by more than 600 trillion Btu from 2003 to 2012.
Building Technology | Jan 7, 2020
Tariff whiplash for bifacial solar modules
Bifacial solar systems offer many advantages over traditional systems.
Codes and Standards | Jan 7, 2020
New certification program for rigid core luxury vinyl tile
ASSURE CERTIFIED to establish industry-wide quality standards.