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Team shows embodied‑carbon comparison; mass timber could lower new‑construction carbon footprint
Summary
Designers presented a 60‑year combined operational and embodied carbon analysis comparing heavy renovation versus new construction; they noted that assuming 10–15% mass timber in structural framing reduces embodied carbon and narrows total‑carbon differences between options.
Martina summarized preliminary embodied‑carbon work that totals operational and embodied carbon over a 60‑year horizon. She said the team included existing embodied carbon for renovation options and included low‑embodied concrete, steel and insulation for new construction; the new‑construction option assumed roughly 10–15% mass timber in structural elements to reduce embodied carbon.
"We have the existing embodied carbon ... and then the new embodied carbon ... and then the impact of reduction impact of mass timber," she said, adding that the combined results across options are "fairly equivalent" when mass timber reduction is considered. The team will refine embodied‑carbon assumptions in SD and show how material choices interact with lifecycle energy outcomes.
