Rachelle Ain
Username
Rachelle Ain
Proposer First Name
Rachelle
Proposer Email
ain@utiledesign.com
Proposer Last Name
Ain
Proposer Company/Organization
Utile Design
Proposer Job Title
Associate

Boston 2023 Areas of Focus

Proposed Session Description
The highest Portland cement replacement concrete mix in Boston was installed at BU’s Center for Computing and Data Sciences by applying low-carbon concrete goals to select structural elements. Using this case study, we will demonstrate opportunities and challenges in mainstream adoption of low-carbon concrete through the lens of design, construction and the supply chain. We will highlight national and local initiatives that address changing industry practices, policies, and challenges to implement low-carbon concrete at scale. We will then facilitate an interactive discussion about policy and industry mechanisms to establish low carbon concrete as a mainstream practice in New England.
Diversity and Inclusiveness
Our speaker roster includes two women, one of whom is an emerging professional.
Learning Objectives
Identify key components of concrete manufacturing and installation with respect to carbon impact.
Understand design and material specification methods to reduce concrete’s embodied carbon, especially in relation to a building’s structural system to yield high impact with low cost.
Recognize common obstacles to achieving low-carbon concrete on projects and on a market-wide scale, and policy strategies that are being used locally and nationally to set the framework for low carbon concrete.
Identify specific action options for green building design professionals to take on individual projects and to successfully promote New England low carbon concrete policies.
Has this session been presented before?
No
Additional Comments
Most of the content presented here is new because we will be presenting proposed policies and new initiatives that have come about in the past year. Michael Gryniuk has previously presented the BU case study in embodied carbon talks.
Session Format
Presentation followed by facilitated discussion or breakout groups
Session Format Details
Presentation by a team of three, followed by a facilitated discussion.
Recommended Length
90-minute session

Strongest Content Connection - Boston 2023

Comments about your speaker roster
Rachelle Ain is an architect, associate at Utile, and co-chair of the Carbon Leadership Forum's Boston / Northeastern Hub. Michael Gryniuk is a structural engineer and principal at LeMessurier and Chair of the SE 2050 Commitment Program. An emerging professional, Olivia Humphrey is a designer at Payette and co-chairs the CLF Boston / Northeast Hub's Policy group.
Anything else you'd like to tell us about your session proposal?
We believe that by participating in the NESEA BuildBoston conference, we will have a unique opportunity to scale up and disseminate low-carbon concrete awareness, education, and solutions rapidly in Boston and greater New England. Given our current momentum the timing of the BuildBoston conference could not be any more perfect. In early October 2022, the National Ready Mix Concrete Association (NRMCA), in collaboration with the Massachusetts Concrete & Aggregate Producers Association (MACAPA) and the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), hosted a low-carbon concrete summit in Massachusetts to identify barriers for entry and discuss possible solutions with all relevant stakeholders. Following the summit and through a generous grant from the Jampart Foundation, the Carbon Leadership Forum Boston/Northeast Hub and the Boston Society for Architecture will conduct a series of stakeholder engagement workshops to bring together a large and diverse set of stakeholders, including ready-mix producers, designers, engineers, concrete installers, and owners. The stakeholder engagement sessions will take place early in the new year with early results to be shared at the BuildBoston conference. We welcome the input and participation of the NESEA community in this urgent and time-critical issue.
Reviewer 1
Chase, Tom
Reviewer 2
Chase, Tom
Curator
Craig, Beverly
Proposal #
142
Session #
201
Committee Decision
Accepted

Presenters

Full Description
According to Architecture 2030, concrete accounts for 11% of annual total global carbon emissions. Concrete is a widely-used and depended-on material in the building industry, and its evolution to a much lower carbon footprint is a critical component of the industry’s climate action efforts. To assist in scaling up the adoption of low-carbon concrete practices the Carbon Leadership Forum Boston/Northeast Hub and the Boston Society for Architecture are conducting a series of stakeholder engagement workshops that include ready-mix producers, designers, engineers, concrete installers, and owners in search of solutions that can scale up. We seek further participation and ideas, as it is imperative that design professionals push for specification practices discussed in this session as well as more stringent state and local policies. Only then will we be able to quickly move the ready-mix industry forward to low-carbon concrete.