The Insulation Decision
While insulation and airtightness are critical elements of a high performance building, they also can significantly increase the risk of health and moisture failure issues. In addition, if using high "embodied carbon" impact materials then high performance buildings can have a higher net carbon impact by 2050 than conventional buildings. Join Kristof as he interviews Lucas Johnson in a discussion about the impacts of insulation material decisions.
Lucas Johnson
Lucas is a building scientist who has worked as a builder, utility program manager, enclosure systems consultant, and clean tech venture capital consultant to deliver Zero Net Energy, Passive House, Living Future, and even two of his own standards: SUN Buildings and Active House. Lucas holds a degree in Physicochemical Biology as well as a Master of Environmental Science and EcoEntrepreneurship. His position at 475 is his dream job since he gets to share his experience by collaborating with architects, engineers, and builders to make their projects cost-effective, carbon negative, healthy, durable, and enjoyable.
Visualization Of Global Changing Temperature Anomalies
Embodied Carbon Network
The Embodied Carbon Network™ (ECN) is a collective group of individuals within focus groups committed to designing embodied and operational carbon out of our new and renovated buildings to achieve a carbon neutral built environment by 2050. The Embodied Carbon Network is hosted by the Carbon Leadership Forum.
The built environment accounts for nearly half of the United States’ total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. While progress has been made toward improving the carbon footprint of the building sector – particularly through reducing carbon emitted by operating buildings – greater effort is needed to address ‘embodied’ carbon, the less discernible, yet equally important source of environmental degradation that results from producing building materials and construction.
EC3 Calculator Tool
EC3 is a free, industry-supported, construction-specific material search and planning tool that helps construction professionals quantify EC, find high-impact reductions, and guide procurement to reduce embodied carbon.
Embodied Carbon (EC) makes up most of the 2030 climate impact of a typical new office building. EC is the CO2 emitted in producing materials for a building, e.g. concrete, steel, glass, and timber. Substantial emissions come from both the energy and the chemistry involved, and are about 8% of global emissions. Many construction materials can be made to very similar performance standards with 50% or more carbon savings. That's because manufacturing process, mix composition, recycled content, and electricity source have a dramatic effect on the carbon emitted during manufacture. Carbon-aware specification and procurement policies, backed by a contractual requirement to deliver verified EPDs for materials delivered to site, can drive change in the supply chain at low to minimal cost
Thanks To Our Sponsor
Special thanks to IQAir for their generous support of the show. IQAir's vision is to assist people in living longer, healthier and more productive lives by helping them breathe the cleanest, healthiest air possible. This vision has guided the company since its founding in 1963, and can be seen clearly today by the way IQAir interacts in the world, and the values that we hold closely.
Team
Hosted by Kristof Irwin
Edited and Produced by M. Walker