A series exploring Climate change and the building industry
Understanding where to start when it comes to addressing climate change in our personal and professional lives is daunting.
The first term that comes to mind for us when we think about our impact as professionals in the building industry is embodied carbon. The term carries a heavy weight these days, as it refers to all of the greenhouse emissions emitted during the manufacture, transport and construction of building materials, as well as the operational emissions of a building containing those materials through its lifecycle. It represents one of the largest contributors to climate change. It’s estimated that the operations of our buildings generate nearly 40% of annual greenhouse gas emissions, and embodied carbon, adds another ¼ of that amount to the total make up of emissions by the building sector.
The good news is that there are natural building materials that store carbon for their life instead of emit it (absorbing). Wood, straw, and hemp are examples. Plants absorb carbon throughout their lives. If a plant is rapidly renewable, and doesn’t require extensive processing it will have “negative embodied carbon,” meaning it has absorbed more carbon throughout its lifecycle than it has emitted.
Concrete on the other hand begins its life in the manufacturing process. Its life is only possible through manufacturing fed by fossil fuels that emit carbon from creation to demolition and recycling. There are some new “bio-cements” in R&D and beginning to land on the market that do less harm.
Two materials used in this Montana home renovation to reduce overall embodied carbon are reclaimed cedar and rigid rockwool. Repurposing wood extends the lifespan of a material that has already sequestered and stored carbon.
So, it’s 2019 and you might ask why we aren’t using natural materials with negative embodied carbon all the time?
It comes down to awareness, education and policy. We have barriers to understanding and using these materials because they are still far outside the list of mainstream materials promoted in architectural education and in industry. Because of lack of education, they are not often seen as legitimate replacements by builders, architects, developers and policy makers. The building materials that will help us reduce carbon emissions have, in fact, been used for hundreds if not thousands of years, perform exceptionally well from building science and longevity standpoints and are available to us now; even locally! They just need a chance to be considered.
We, as architects, developers and building owners have a responsibility to educate ourselves and get uncomfortable. We are past the point of being able to be proactive in reshaping the building industry as a whole. We are reacting and catching up, making our work more critically important and urgent every day.
We were excited to see that last month the American Institute of Architects (AIA) announced it recognizes the profession of architecture to be a critical leader for addressing climate change, and that it will take action to direct the organization toward focusing on achieving the bold and necessary goals.
“AIA’s Board of Directors ratified a bold resolution outlining the decisive action the association will take on climate change over the coming decades….
the resolution marks a bold step forward in positioning the architectural profession as key leaders for climate action. It outlines three key areas: declare an urgent climate imperative for carbon reduction; transform the day-to-day built practice of architects to achieve a zero-carbon, equitable, resilient and healthy built environment; and leverage support of peers, clients, policy makers, and the public at large.”
At Love | Schack we talk about how we make a small but meaningful difference when we suggest to our clients that they use a more environmentally friendly material, especially when they have a real budget. However, no matter how hard we try to make a difference in our region, we need the entire community - our contractor and subcontractor partners, our engineers, and clients - involved in this conversation to make the most of our combined potential. We know we can do better, but it’s going to take a commitment from all stakeholders to create the kind of impact we need.
This summer Ryan Chivers of Limestrong Artisan Plaster and Lindsey Love, Love | Schack co-owner and principal gave a plaster application clinic to builders and contractors at a home in Teton Valley, Idaho to increase local awareness and understanding of the natural materials available to them.
This year we submitted a proposal with our partner design/build/development firm, Onion Flats in Philadelphia, for a project that would create affordable workforce housing in downtown Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The design incorporated Passive House systems and the use of the most conventional bio-based materials: cellulose and wood. In the end it was the Town’s decision to move forward with a proposal that lacked the kind of bold sustainable design characteristics we felt this publicly-funded community development project was in need of, and it wasn’t until days later, after an interview about the project, that we realized our efforts had not been for nothing. We heard feedback that other architects, builders and citizens were inspired by our proposal, and it was a reminder that sometimes the impact we create is not what we expect.
We’re beginning to understand that when it comes to tackling climate change in our personal and professional lives, it’s not about assessing our impact based on the end result we see from our actions, but instead on the intention behind those actions. We may not see the big wave of impact with everything we do to address climate change in the building industry, but chances are that if we base our actions on the intention to do what’s right we can inspire and create the change we need.
Curious about using natural materials in your next project?
Visit our contact page to set up a free call.
Interested in learning more about high-performance building and natural materials?
Send an email to info@loveschack.com to be included in our monthly conversations featuring guest speakers and follow up Q+A. Group members range from new and curious to experienced building professionals.
Sources:
Flynn, Katherine, “AIA announces Big Move Toward Environmental Stewardship” American Institute of Architects, 13 September 2019, https://www.aia.org/articles/6199206-aia-announces-big-move-toward-environmenta
“Why The Building Sector,” Architecture 2030, https://architecture2030.org/buildings_problem_why/