Event Description

This course will focus on climate impacts associated with carbon emissions from the built environment. It will emphasize the importance of goal setting and taking actions to manage building-related carbon emissions throughout a building’s life cycle.

The course will begin with an exploration of the context of climate emissions in the built environment, covering topics such as the global carbon cycle, whole building life cycle analysis, operational carbon, embodied carbon and the impact of building materials and practices, carbon storage and buildings as carbon sinks, the “time value” of carbon, and a series of solutions from material selection to policy engagement for addressing the climate impact of the built environment.

Next, the course will explore applied strategies in the context of a design practice, covering topics such as goal setting and defined metrics, defining core questions framing carbon analysis, carbon accounting tools, and workflow in the design process.

Finally, the course will guide participants through a series of workshops and facilitated discussion in which key barriers to and opportunities for implementing carbon reduction strategies in participants’ practices are identified, discussed, prioritized, and formulated into an action list for participants to reference moving forward to actualize real carbon reduction in their work.

Learning Objectives:

- Understand the impact of embodied carbon and carbon storage in building materials.

- Become familiar with real-world examples and case studies that stored carbon.

- Identify tools, workflow strategies, and other resources for carbon accounting in the design process.

- Take action on opportunities and strategies for integrating climate action and carbon reduction into their professional practice.