Embodied Carbon 101: Process + Firm Culture
Included in subscription
Description
In order to make true progress toward carbon reduction, carbon-thoughtful design must be part of the AEC industry’s standards and culture, instead of approached on a project-by-project basis. Hear from sustainability leaders representing a range of practices, including architecture, engineering and consulting, construction, and design/build firms who share the vision and infrastructure of their own firms’ sustainability and embodied carbon practice, and elaborate on how they arrived at a place where sustainable design and construction is built into their firms’ cultures. These leaders identify barriers to adopting carbon-thoughtful design and strategies for breaking down those barriers, including leveraging existing cultural and industry structures (for example: the AIA 2030 Commitment) and strengthening the connections between the existing values of firm leadership (for example: operational energy reduction; for example: materials and occupant health) and carbon reduction.
Course expires 11/14/2026
Learning Objectives
Identify existing firm structures or commitments that can serve as a model for integrating embodied carbon reduction into a firm’s work as standard practice.
Design a plan for the integration of embodied carbon work into one’s firm’s standard procedures, based on existing firm leadership and infrastructure.
Demonstrate the value of embodied carbon reduction in relation to firm leadership’s and clients’ existing values.
Formulate a firm/practice feedback system to evaluate the integration of embodied carbon considerations into firm-wide practices and to evolve embodied carbon work to become a more streamlined and accessible part of every project.