Institute does project math in Concrete Solutions, Embodied Carbon Guides

Sources: RMI, Boulder, Colo.; CP staff Energy market-driven RMI has released Concrete Solutions Guide in tandem with the broader Reducing Embodied Carbon in Buildings, the former presenting specific opportunities for “a nearly ubiquitous material with a sizable climate impact” and expanding on the need to optimize mixes to reduce overall embodied carbon in buildings at little to no additional cost.

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Lehigh Hanson aligns with supply chain-wise Building Transparency

Sources: Lehigh Hanson Inc., Irving, Texas; CP staff Lehigh Hanson is the newest pilot partner in Building Transparency, a Silicon Valley-backed nonprofit organization that provides open access data and tools supporting broad and swift industry action on embodied carbon. The concrete, cement and aggregates giant aims to support advanced supply chain knowledge “for a better building future.” 

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Structural engineers on board with net-zero buildings goal by 2050

Source: American Society of Civil Engineers, Reston, Va.  The ASCE Structural Engineering Institute’s Structural Engineers 2050 Commitment Program (SE 2050) provides members with the resources to contribute and track projects toward the vision of net-zero embodied carbon structures by mid-century. The program responds to the Carbon Leadership Forum’s SE 2050 Challenge, wherein “All structural engineers shall understand, reduce and ultimately…

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LafargeHolcim grows EPD library, shrinks concrete and cement carbon intensities

Sources: LafargeHolcim, Chicago; CP staff

To address calls for streamlining embodied carbon in private and public work, LafargeHolcim plans to issue Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) covering shipments from its U.S. Aggregates and Construction Materials (ACM) and Cement businesses. It will enlist top auditors and EPD Program Operators to prepare, verify and host a library of ready mixed concrete or cement declarations abiding the latest criteria for quantifying carbon dioxide emissions throughout raw material, processing, delivery and finishing phases. 

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EPD data-fueled embodied carbon tool debuts at Greenbuild

Sources: Carbon Leadership Forum, Seattle; CP staff

The Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF), a University of Washington College of Built Environments-hosted coalition of architecture, engineering and construction stakeholders, formally launched the Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3) tool in public beta version at the U.S. Green Building Council’s Greenbuild International Conference & Expo in Atlanta. Embodied carbon volumes reflect carbon dioxide emissions attributable to material or product processing, fabrication, delivery, and erection or placement. 

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Top engineer validates structural elements’ embodied carbon

Sources: Thornton Tomasetti, New York; CP staff

A global engineer’s seven-year survey of 600-plus buildings assesses materials, structural components and facility types with the highest embodied carbon, and cites a market-driven trend toward increased use of supplementary cementitious materials and recycled steel as the largest driver of a reduction in that metric. 

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