Hope Furrer Associates joined the SE2050 program in October of 2022 and has recently received the official 2025 Signatory Badge. SE2050 is the industry effort to reduce carbon emissions, geared specifically to the structural engineering community. Together with the architecture-focused AIA2030 program, and the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering program called MEP2040, the goal is to lessen the impact that building construction can have on global warming. But what about our clients? Are they paying a premium to achieve these lofty goals? Is it even worth it?
Let’s tackle these questions one at a time. First, our clients do recognize the contribution of their construction projects to the global warming potential, and many of them have lofty goals of their own. The University of Maryland and its affiliates have adopted an aggressive climate action plan which targets power usage, waste processing, and campus transportation in addition to campus facilities maintenance and expansion. The university standards include sustainable design requirements which obligate designers to issue a written narrative addressing the standards as part of the deliverable package. Penn State University, Virginia Tech, Princeton, University of Pittsburgh, and many more of our university clients include sustainability goals and requirements in their facility guidelines. Likewise, many state building codes include energy reduction goals both during and after construction, and our developer owners recognize the value prospective tenants find in buildings that were constructed responsibly, with as little impact as possible to global warming potential.
Does carbon emission reduction in structural design mean an increase in construction costs? Not necessarily. The industry trend in concrete, steel, masonry, and wood construction is towards embodied carbon reduction. Old methods are being phased out, making new methods more predominant. An example of this is the trend in the steel industry, of shifting away from coal-based blast furnace-basic oxygen furnaces to electric arc furnaces. Where once there may have been a premium in specifying steel fabricated with electric arc furnaces due to proximity of such plants to a project, these are now more common and thus the requirement is less impactful to the bottom line.
By far, the most efficient strategy for reduced carbon emissions is simple – use less. This means prioritizing renovations – even those that require structural retrofits to improve resistance to today’s more demanding environmental forces – or simply utilizing the most efficient structural column spacing. Material also plays a role, as emissions are generated not just in fabrication, but also in transportation to the project site. However, regardless of material, less waste means less volume, less construction time, and ultimately, fewer kilograms of carbon emissions. These strategies also translate to fewer dollars. Evaluating a few options early in the design process can be very informative for effective strategies and ideal materials. More often than not, the strategy with the least volume is also the least costly and has the lowest carbon emissions.
The momentum is gathering for adopting more and more eco-friendly practices in structural engineering, and the SE2050 program is a means to quantify and track those changes with consistency throughout the US. Consumers have begun to expect this type of tracking, and thus our clients have become key drivers in lowering carbon emissions, purely in response to consumer demands. While it seems intimidating at first, clients find that decreasing their carbon footprints can ultimately lead to cost savings, resilient and energy efficient facilities with lower operating and insurance costs, and new business prospects.
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