the first six months of signing the commitment and to submit their structural embodied carbon data to the SE 2050 project database. STV has been very active in the SE 2050 challenge thus far, and, according to Alger, participates by regularly attending member meetings and presenting on the program’s goals and findings to promote education and awareness. STV’s dedication to reducing embodied carbon is further exemplified through their performance of structural analyses and research “in an attempt to find key trends related to embodied carbon.” In this pursuit, STV recently designated four pilot projects, each designed with several variations of primary materials and structural systems. Post says they are hoping this research teaches them more about their projects’ largest contributors to embodied carbon. STV has also been developing their own SE 2050 Carbon Dashboard and database, which will help track carbon emissions and visualize project data, and in turn highlight effective structural analyses across various metrics. According to Alger, “this tool compiles the findings from our research and pilot projects, so that we can eventually publish best practices and promote efficient data tracking methods.” As the AEC industry looks to reduce its embodied carbon footprint in the future–particularly when it comes to buildings’ structural elements–one of the biggest challenges standing in the way is a lack of proper education or awareness, according to both Post and Alger. The need to reduce embodied carbon is evident and there are several simple tactics that can significantly help, but Alger and Post believe that a lot of this knowledge simply hasn’t been spread around the industry yet. By spreading awareness and promoting widespread adoption of new developments and innovations in materials and technologies that can help limit embodied carbon, the cost and caution around these new materials and processes can be reduced. Leading this effort from the front, STV is continuously advocating for and implementing creative embodied carbon solutions, helping clients and structures overcome some of embodied carbon’s leading challenges.
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LUKE CAROTHERS is the Editor of Civil + Structural Engineer Magazine. If you want us to cover your project or feature an article, he can be reached at lcarothers@zweiggroup.com.
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October 2023 csengineermag.com
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