We know that everyone has different thoughts + opinions about sustainability. We’ve heard it all – go green, uncertainty around if it’s necessary, added cost, etc. We’re going to reframe the sustainability mindset, and discuss why it’s important for our industry.
How our industry talks about sustainability
No surprise, not everyone is a sustainability expert. Sustainability has its own vocabulary with nuance between words and, right or wrong, negative/positive connotations.
Talking about sustainability with clients is really not that different from talking about structural engineering with clients. I know I’ve watched eyes glaze over when they hear words like shear or moment or diaphragm.
It can be the same when they hear embodied carbon or EPD or global warming potential.
It’s important to always meet people where they are, and to speak in an approachable language. We’re not going to make a positive impact on the environment by using words no one knows the definition to – we’ll get there by working together.
Must-know sustainability vocabulary
Some sustainability-specific words relate to more common words, which makes it a lot easier to explain the benefit.
Example #1 | embodied carbon emissions is very similar to pollution. Pollution is a familiar word, and most of us agree on a negative connotation.
Example #2 | building efficiently vs. building sustainably go hand-in-hand. However, there’s more agreeance in building efficiently, while building sustainability has a more complicated connotation.
Here are a few words worth knowing about sustainability for buildings.
carbon
In sustainability, the word is used to refer to carbon dioxide + other gasses that contribute to the greenhouse effect (warming of the planet). Carbon can also be defined as a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) – a gas that absorbs + emits radiant energy which causes the greenhouse effect. Primary greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide + ozone. Carbon dioxide + methane are the largest contributors to the greenhouse effect.
embodied carbon
This is the sum of greenhouse gas emissions associated with the manufacture + use of a product or service. You may see this measured by the unit global warming potential (GWP). All structures have embodied carbon that is created through their construction, maintenance + demolition.
operational carbon
This is the greenhouse gas emissions that result from the energy + water consumed by a building during its operation.
global warming potential (GWP)
The relative impact of one molecule of carbon dioxide, usually over a 100-year timeframe.
carbon sequestration
It’s a natural process that involves pulling carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere + storing it. This results in a negative source of carbon emissions. Materials like wood + concrete can sequester carbon.
life cycle assessment (LCA)
It’s a standardized method to evaluate the environmental impact of a product throughout its lifetime. Phrases such as “cradle-to-gate” or “cradle-to-grave” describe different types of life cycle analyses. Our “product” as structural engineers are the structures that we design. Understanding environmental impacts at beginning stages all the way until the building is demolished can help us make better decisions and help reduce the overall embodied carbon in a project. A Whole-Building Life Cycle Assessment (WBLCA) evaluates the environmental impact of a whole building design. Read more about a WBLCA here.
environmental product declaration (EPD)
This report summarizes the life-cycle assessment results of a specific product and indicates information such as its embodied carbon. You can think of this like a nutrition label – it lists quantities of components and can be used to compare products when making decisions. When comparing the EPD reports between two products, the product category rule (PCR) must match. Which leads to…
product category rule (PCR)
This document reports requirements + guidelines for a specific material or product type in an environmental product declaration (EPD).
structural resilience
This is the ability to rapidly resume the use of buildings + structures following a natural disaster or shock event. Goals for structural resilience may align with goals for sustainability; however, they are distinct concepts.
How a structural engineer can help meet sustainability goals on a project
The earlier we start talking about sustainability goals, the more impact structural engineers can have; late in the project there may not be much we can do. Early sustainable discussions could include:
- Potential to reuse an existing building rather than building new
- How to optimize the framing layout
- Opportunity to be strategic about how the building is planned to reduce the amount of structure
- Etc.
At Schaefer, we believe in designing efficiently. That means we aim to deliver a straightforward design that uses the materials necessary – not overdesigning with surplus material. Working with an engineer who values efficient design is already moving toward sustainability.
Outside of working with clients to reuse existing buildings +/or controlling the amount of materials used, structural engineers can impact sustainability by specifying materials with lower environmental impact or performing a Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment on the structure to identify high-impact opportunities for carbon reduction.
The best way to get started is to know the impact of our projects today. Two simple ways to introduce sustainability on a project are to:
- Request EPDs from contractors + material suppliers
- Calculate the upfront embodied carbon of the structure
Knowledge + transparency will help us do better in the future.
To the point
As responsible stewards of our profession, we can’t ignore the impact our industry has on our planet. We want to start the conversation with clients – sharing awareness around this topic and aligning it with project goals as it makes sense. We want to start the conversation to move toward a more sustainable industry.
Schaefer’s sustainability background
Schaefer is committed to the SE 2050 movement which has the goal for all projects be net-zero carbon by the year 2050. While that is a very large goal, we have the next 25 years to take steps towards greater sustainability.
Schaefer joined SE 2050 in 2023. Before joining, we did a lot of research. We looked at sustainability in our industry, how it impacted Schaefer and how we could make a difference. We also embraced a vision statement for our sustainability committee members: to deliver sustainable design to enhance communities of today and tomorrow.
Tell me more about the SE 2050 commitment
There are three parts to SE 2025.
- Planning | firms are required to create an embodied carbon action plan.
- Implementation + accountability | work the plan – put it into our everyday engineering tasks
- Sharing | collect + send data about our projects to the SE 2050 team to compile for all to use. The data helps us to benchmark where different projects land along the sustainability spectrum and on how we’re reducing embodied carbon on our projects
Ultimately, as we are collecting data + reporting, we’ll set more reduction goals, moving toward 2050.
