Five Key Components of a Zero Carbon Building
There is no one way to combat climate change; it is a multifaceted problem that requires many solutions. Everyone needs to be involved in the fight and importantly, everyone needs to benefit from the solutions. Architecture and design have a substantial role. GRLA is committed to designing to the highest standards and selecting materials to accelerate the drive to net-zero, given the project criteria of program, budget, schedule, and quality.
Indicative of our commitment, GRLA has joined over 60 other firms from across the country in adopting the AIA Architecture & Design Materials Pledge. This pledge is focused on establishing reliable and consistent metrics for finding improvements in the design process. There are five aspects that the A&D Materials Pledge considers when evaluating products and finishes:
Human Health
Social Health & Equity
Ecosystem Health
Climate Health
Circular Economy
All are equally critical and require conscious and intentional support. Here we will focus specifically on the Climate Health Pledge:
“We pledge to support climate health by preferring materials and products that reduce carbon emissions and ultimately sequester more carbon than emitted.”
Construction materials generate over 11% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. According to Architecture 2030, to avoid triggering irreversible climate change the building sector must reduce carbon emissions by 65% by 2030, quickly followed by getting to zero by 2040. If we continue with business as usual, more than 50% of the emissions from new construction will come from the CO2 emitted in production of materials, with the majority coming from cement and steel. While the building industry needs to drastically reduce operating emissions, there must also be a coordinated effort to reduce embodied carbon from materials.
Where to Start:
Ask for transparency in carbon impacts of material ingredients. This can be found in EPDs (Environmental Product Declaration)
Build whole building Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) into your practice. Focus first on using LCAs to select materials and systems that reduce your building’s carbon impact, and then compare across other available LCA impact categories. Read more about LCAs.
Use low-carbon and carbon sequestering materials. This can transform our buildings from carbon emitters to carbon sinks.
Start by evaluating the highest-impact materials and work down: structure, envelope, wallboard, flooring, insulation, ductwork, ceiling panels, etc.
Advocate for policies and practices that impose greater transparency of, and limits on, the global warming impacts of building products and interior materials, and for investment in tools that enable us to select low-carbon and carbon storing materials.
Designing and constructing buildings that can combat the greenhouse effect will improve our chances of repairing our planet while creating a healthy, resilient, and regenerative future; this is our architectural imperative. GRLA is proud to collaborate with our partners and clients in this work.
Please reach out to Scott Richardson if you’d like to chat further about sustainable design.