Architecture 2030: Carbon Smart Material Palette
Architecture 2030 is a non-profit, non-partisan, and independent organisation established in Sante Fe, New Mexico in 2002 in response to the ongoing climate emergency.
Their organisational mission is to rapidly transform the built environment from a major emitter of greenhouse gases to a central solution to the climate crisis. For nearly two decades, they have provided leadership and designed actions needed to achieve the CO2 emissions reductions for a high probability of limiting planetary warming to 1.5°C. Their action plan has two primary objectives. First, to achieve a dramatic reduction in the energy consumption and CO2 emissions of the built environment by 2030, and a complete phase-out of fossil fuel CO2 emissions by 2040; and second, to advance the development of sustainable, resilient, equitable, and zero-carbon buildings communities and cities.
Photo Credit: Allaeden Hallak - Unsplash.
Architecture 2030 actively empowers the built environment to achieve these goals through Design & Planning, Education, Policy, and Collaborations.
Building on nearly two decades of success, they are responding to the urgency of this moment with a range of initiatives to catalyze action and accelerate results. These feature a whole-sector approach to the built environment, including a focus on embodied carbon and materials, local government codes and policies that rapidly scale solutions, “how-to” conferences, and major international sector actions and collaborations.
In the course of transforming the built environment, they believe that significant market opportunities will emerge, helping to help drive this urgent transition. Their research illustrates that low- to no-carbon techniques and applications can be implemented at no incremental cost, as the evolving regulatory environment increasingly mandates their adoption.
The stakeholders leading in climate action now will be best positioned to capitalise on and lead the transition.
Architecture 2030 has created a Carbon Smart Materials Palette as part of this thought leadership. Part of this series is a breakdown of the emissions impacts of concrete.
Concrete is the most consumed material in the world, second only to water, and is responsible for over 7% of annual global anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Virtually all of this concrete goes into the built environment (i.e. buildings, landscapes, and infrastructure), and is responsible for more than twice the emissions of the aviation industry9. There are steps individuals can take from the supply side and the demand side to reduce concrete emissions. For example, designing our structures to use each cubic unit of concrete more efficiently can lower demand and reduce emissions by 22%. Ultimately, to reach net-zero, close collaboration between all stakeholders involved in the production and use of concrete is required1.
A variety of ingredients can be combined to produce a wide variety of concrete mixes. Understanding the production of each ingredient and its impact on the characteristics of the final product can help designers specify greater amounts of lower emission concrete.
Using less cement is the most impactful way to reduce the emissions footprint of concrete.
Photo Credit: Sophie N, Unsplash.