Presenter(s): Hannah McKay
Co Presenter(s): Isabel Rivera
Faculty Mentor(s): Alison Kwok
Poster 90
Session: Social Sciences & Humanities
According to Architecture 2030, an architectural initiative, embodied carbon will represent 49% of the carbon emissions associated with new construction between 2020 and 2050, unless substantial effort is made to reduce embodied carbon emissions immediately. In collaboration with the TallWood Design Institute, the University of Oregon NetZED Laboratory is examining the carbon impacts of Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), through a comprehensive literature review and Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) case studies of North American projects that utilize CLT.
To quantify the carbon impact, we will show a case study of a commercial office building in Portland, Oregon (called District Office) designed by Hacker Architects, completion expected in 2019. The project is a 6-story, 90,400 sf., with a structure of cross-laminated timber floors with glulam columns and beams. Using Tally®, a plug-in for Revit, it is possible to measure the embodied carbon impact of the building materials over their full life-span, from the acquisition of raw material to disposal or reuse at the end of the material or building’s useful life. This study also accounts for variables such as the distance the material has traveled, the carbon impact of each component used, and what happens to the materials during demolition. The poster will identify terminology used in the industry, graphically compelling and informative and easy-to- read numerical calculations, addressing environmental information about CLT in North America. This research may be used to identify strategies to improve the overall carbon impact of material-use in buildings and inform the use of CLT material in future construction.