The Balancing Act: Reducing Embodied and Operational Carbon in High-Performance Envelopes
As codes become more stringent and low embodied carbon goals more mainstream, projects face sometimes contradictory priorities in balancing energy efficiency with embodied emissions. Through case studies, lessons learned and data-driven research, this session will explore the tradeoffs between reducing operational and embodied carbon in high-performance building envelopes, challenging what defines a low-carbon building and equipping attendees with tools and workflows to design the lowest Total Carbon building envelope.
Session Chairs
Session Speakers
Evaluate embodied vs. operational carbon tradeoffs across different project typologies, including existing building retrofits and new construction projects.
Identify how evolving energy codes are influencing the design and performance requirements of exterior envelope assemblies.
Apply practical strategies for reducing embodied carbon in exterior envelopes, including reducing material use and optimizing backup structures.
Utilize new tools to interpret embodied carbon data to inform material and assembly choices.
This session is pre-approved for 1 credit hour toward AIA (LU|HSW), BPI, LEED (BD+C), WELL, MA CSL, and NARI certification. Those who attend a full day of the conference are additionally eligible for credit toward Phius and RESNET certification.