Embodied Carbon 101: Envelope
Included in subscription
Description
Envelopes are among the systems that have the largest embodied carbon impact on a building. Traditionally envelope systems and materials are chosen for aesthetics, cost, and operational energy, but embodied carbon is equally important. Learn how to apply embodied carbon strategies when designing your next façade system, including strategies for renovating existing buildings, insulation, and selecting cladding materials.
Course expires 11/14/2026
Learning Objectives
Identify appropriate approaches to improving thermal performance of existing envelopes and approaches that have historically created new problems.
Design and specify enclosure systems that utilize low embodied carbon materials for structure, insulation and finishes strategically to improve building performance.
Weigh the embodied carbon impacts of maintaining and repairing an existing building enclosure versus rebuilding an enclosure.
Assess traditional and alternative façade and building envelope materials for their embodied carbon impact.
Mr. Nall is Vice President and Regional Director of High Performance Solutions at Syska Hennessy Group. Most recently he served as a Senior Vice President at Thornton Tomasetti. Mr. Nall is a professional engineer, a Fellow of the AIA, a LEED Fellow, an ASHRAE fellow and certified Building Energy Modeling Professional, and a certified High Performance Building Design Professional. He was Vice Chair of the ASHRAE Standard 189 committee, was a Director of the USGBC NY Chapter, the AIA National Committee on the Environment, and Vice Chairman of the USGBC Energy and Atmosphere Technical Advisory Group. He was one of Engineering News Record’s “Newsmakers of 2007.” He received the “Outstanding Practitioner Award” from the US Chapter of the International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBPSA) in 2004. He was an author of six of ASHRAE’s ten Advanced Energy Design Guides (AEDG), and is the AIA Representative on the AEDG Steering Committee. He was recipient of the ASHRAE Distinguished Service Award and New York Chapter, ASHRAE Distinguished Service Award. He has been a faculty member at the Schools of Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, Cornell University and Columbia University. He has been involved in energy efficiency and sustainability in buildings for over 30 years and is the author of numerous papers in professional and technical journals.
Chris O'Hara PE, SECB is a Founding Principal of Studio NYL, a Colorado-based structural engineering and facade design studio with offices in Boston and Minneapolis. Chris and Studio NYL are members of the Carbon Leadership Forum and signatories to the Structural Engineering Institute’s 2050 Challenge and the AIA's 2030 Challenge.
Melanie is part of Payette's Building Science Group. She works with design teams to meet rigorous sustainability targets through data-driven investigation. She co-leads research efforts on embodied carbon and implementing a healthy material policy. Melanie educates the design team on issues relevant to building performance, while understanding which elements are critical to the building’s design.
Christopher is an architect with Bruner/Cott Architects. He is interested in design that builds community while addressing the impact of climate change. Christopher leads project teams to identify common goals and specific solutions. It is Christopher's goal to make a positive impact on the built environment while sharing his experience with future designers.
Catherine is a born and devoted New Yorker, and an R.A. on the SWA Enclosure Team with 28 years’ experience in enclosure diagnostics and detailing, historic preservation and architectural design.