Mark Webster
Username
Mark Webster
Proposer First Name
Mark
Proposer Email
mdwebster@sgh.com
Proposer Last Name
Webster
Proposer Company/Organization
Simpson Gumpertz & Heger
Proposer Phone
(781) 424-3904
Boston 2022 Areas of Focus
Proposer Job Title
Structural Engineer
Proposed Session Description
Rocky Mountain Institute’s report, "Reducing Embodied Carbon in Buildings," demonstrates that for a cost premium of less than 1%, it is possible to reduce embodied carbon of building materials by over 46%. Take a deep dive into what projects have done to minimize embodied carbon. The example projects have taken different approaches: one project focused on concrete in an ICF building; another will explore envelope choices and how to meet passive house envelope requirements while reducing embodied carbon; and one will address using LCA to decide between renovation vs. new construction for existing school buildings and lowering embodied carbon for site remediation and building structure. After the case studies, hear about the range of embodied carbon policies in development in Boston, Cambridge, Newton, and across Massachusetts and discuss policies that can be promoted by the green building community to accelerate change for how we renovate and build.
Diversity and Inclusiveness
Addressing climate change through mitigation (reducing emissions now to limit impacts) is inherently about diversity, equity, and inclusion. Climate change is affecting people of all types around the world; populations in the least affluent nations are expected to be hardest hit.
Learning Objectives
1) Describe measures (both design and material choices) in a specific project to significantly reduce embodied carbon of building materials.
2) Analyze how performance-based specifications for concrete can provide low cost, high impact reductions in embodied carbon.
3) Discuss design team tools and decisions that can be made early to reduce embodied carbon and ensure construction administration decisions prioritize embodied carbon impact.
4) Explore policies in several US states and in Canada that have changed building practices and materials to reduce embodied carbon and identify which approaches would most likely to succeed in New England states.
Has this session been presented before?
No
Session Format
Presentation followed by facilitated discussion or breakout groups
Session Format Details
We plan to have four 15-minute presentations (3 case studies and one on policy) followed by 1/2 hour of facilitated discussion. Discussion topics might include what attendees are doing to reduce embodied carbon on their projects and brainstorming policy initiatives that could reduce embodied carbon in projects.
Recommended Length
90-minute session
Strongest Content Connection - Boston 2022
Anything else you'd like to tell us about your session proposal?
If MassCEC is ready to talk about an Embodied Carbon Reduction Competition that is being proposed to the MassCEC Board in an early January Board meeting, we would add Beverly Craig from MassCEC as a speaker.
Reviewer 1
Greenberg, Asher
Reviewer 2
Greenberg, Asher
Curator
Craig, Beverly
Proposal #
217
Session #
313
Committee Decision
Accepted
Presenters
Full Description
Each year, buildings account for 39% of energy-related global carbon emissions. A quarter of these emissions result from embodied carbon, or the carbon emissions associated with building materials and construction. However, between now and 2030, the critical time period in which we need to get carbon emissions out of the atmosphere to stem climate change, the majority of emissions from new buildings will come from its embodied carbon.
This session will provide examples for low cost, high impact changes made in a specific building design to answer the question “How do I do this?” Then it will go on to answer “How do we bring these types of changes to scale through policy?”