Earlier this year, we launched our first Embodied Carbon Pilot Program! We hope the lessons learned from this pilot will help the city meet its climate goals and become a leader in reducing the embodied carbon in its building stock.
As part of the pilot program, Denver is providing project support and funding for new commercial building projects. Denver will be involved with the projects throughout design and construction to:
- Provide support
- Collect local market data
- Understand local embodied carbon intensities
- Understand design and construction challenges
- Evaluate the cost of constructing lower embodied carbon buildings
We designed this pilot program with input from the building industry, including designers, contractors, and sustainability consultants.
A building’s life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are comprised of operational carbon and embodied carbon. Operational carbon emissions result from the on-site electricity and natural gas (gas) consumption required to operate buildings and homes. Embodied carbon is generated from the materials used to build structures and includes:
- Material extraction
- Manufacturing
- Transportation
- Building construction
- Maintenance
- Demolition or deconstruction
- Disposal
Buildings are responsible for about 60% of Denver’s carbon emissions. Globally, materials used in the construction of buildings represent about 7% of total global GHG emissions.
Historically, carbon reduction projects and policies have focused on operational energy. As these programs and policies continue to reduce operational carbon emissions, embodied carbon will continue to become a larger share of buildings’ carbon footprint.
In 2021, Denver completed an Embodied Carbon Emissions report(PDF, 3MB). The report looked to understand the impact of embodied carbon in Denver and make recommendations on ways to reduce it. The report highlights the urgent need to address embodied carbon emissions. If Denver meets its goal for all buildings and homes achieving zero emissions by 2040, operational carbon emissions will disappear. Embodied carbon will become 100% of Denver’s building emissions.
The 2021 report identified recommendations for priority actions to reduce Denver’s embodied carbon. These included:
- Promoting the reuse and repurposing of existing buildings and salvaged building materials in new construction
- Understanding which materials contribute the most to emissions and limiting their use
- Requiring transparent product documentation to help decide which low-carbon materials to use
- Avoiding over-engineering building designs to reduce the use of structural materials, including concrete, steel, and wood
- Involving structural engineers early, as the greatest amount of embodied carbon is emitted from the building’s structural system
- Considering the end-of-life use of salvaged materials and buildings
Denver is working to understand the current state of building practices and their impact on Denver’s embodied emissions. As part of this initiative, Denver established a baseline for measuring embodied carbon today and for tracking progress moving forward. This pilot will inform and validate this baseline. It will help us understand the benefits and barriers to reducing embodied carbon in new commercial buildings.