Welcome to this edition of the SKINS newsletter, which is all about carbon! As guest editor this month, I am representing FTI’s embodied carbon (EC) working group. This issue highlights several important topics relative to embodied and the trade-offs with operational carbon.
The building envelope is at the intersection of embodied and operational emissions. Curtain wall specifically could play an important role in reducin…
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the building sector is critical to limiting global temperature rise to less than 1.5⁰C. Construction and build…
Awareness of embodied carbon impacts is surging like hurricane-driven floodwaters and altering the landscape of everything in its path. What are the implications for buildings, the facade system and urban habitat? FTI is taking this on with its 2019 Forum series.
Special guests Jennifer O'Connor from Athena Sustainable Materials Institute, Anthony Pak from Priopta, and Stacy Smedley from Skanska join us to discuss embodied carbon.
The focus of this issue of SKINS is on embodied carbon -- the carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions associated with materials and construction processes throughout the whole lifecycle of a building or infrastructure.
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a methodology used to quantify the impact of building construction supply chains on the environment in terms of measur…
What environmental impact does one object have on the world? This is the question at the core of life cycle assessments (LCA); the embodied carbon lens. ...the current architectural practice rarely provides enough time to explore this type of examination.
Gensler architects Jessica Santonastaso and Alan Estabrook survey existing research on embodied carbon in exterior wall assemblies and the availability of product declarations for relevant materials.
Architects today must explore alternative enclosure materials to meet evolving energy codes and embodied carbon regulations. Terra cotta has been mos…
In the last few years, the design community has embraced the challenge of reducing embodied carbon in buildings. Several tools are now available for …
The historical focus on reducing the carbon footprint of a building has recently shifted to include more emphasis on embodied carbon, the carbon emit…
Welcome to this edition of the SKINS newsletter, which is all about carbon! As guest editor this month, I am representing FTI’s embodied carbon (EC) working group. This issue highlights several important topics relative to embodied and the trade-offs with operational carbon.
As architects and designers we understand the urgency of addressing the building sector’s role in the ongoing environmental crisis. Architecture2030 …
Climate change goals will require significant improvements in the way buildings are constructed and operated. Building reuse can combat climate chang…
Special guest Ted Kesik, PhD, Professor of Building Science at the University of Toronto, joins us to discuss everything from digital workflows and durability to embodied carbon and resilience.
Building envelopes are not only an immediately visible part of the building, they have also become a major factor both for cost and performance of th…
There is a growing awareness and interest in understanding the carbon footprint of material manufacturing, opening doors to new opportunities in facade design and manufacturing innovation. There are steps and decisions we can make today to help fight climate change.