AEC leaders co-author guide on reducing concrete’s embodied carbon

by arslan_ahmed | October 25, 2023 3:29 pm

Cover photo of the guide.[1]
Cover photo of the guide.Photo courtesy ZGF Architects.

Co-authored by ZGF Architects (ZGF), Fast+Epp, EllisDon, and Lafarge, “Concrete: A Pragmatic Approach to Lowering Embodied Carbon,” is a free and publicly available technical guide that outlines strategies to reduce concrete’s impact in construction, which can be implemented with no or negligible added project cost.

Construction Canada (CC) spoke to ZGF principal, Iain MacFadyen, to learn more about the guide.

CC: Why did the authors decide to release this guide?

ZGF: Concrete is both one of the most carbon intensive and most widely used materials in the built environment. Reducing its impact is critical to addressing the climate crisis. ZGF and our co-authors wanted to raise awareness about the strategies that project teams can take immediately to reduce this impact.

CC: What are some of the tips outlined in the guide?

ZGF: There are several strategies outlined in the guide, including:

Many of these strategies, including concrete mix optimization, can be implemented with no or negligible added project cost.

CC: How is ZGF implementing low-carbon concrete on your projects?

For every project in ZGF’s Vancouver office, we utilize the guidelines, which are nimble and easily digestible, for a simple but effective approach to low carbon concrete. This includes a collaborative approach from the start of our projects, engaging in early conversations with the client, structural engineer, and construction teams to understand the baseline, target, and potential opportunities to reduce concrete’s impact.

One example is a 10-storey commercial tower in the city of Surrey, British Columbia, where we minimized the concrete volume through reduced floor-to-floor height and an optimized core layout. We also modified the concrete supplier bidding form to include performance requirements for all concrete elements, including a three-day stripping strength for concrete slabs.

The guide can be accessed here[2].

Endnotes:
  1. [Image]: https://www.constructioncanada.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/ZGFguide-on-reduction-embodied-carbon-in-concrete.jpg
  2. here: https://www.zgf.com/ideas/5474-download-low-carbon-concrete-guidelines

Source URL: https://www.constructioncanada.net/aec-leaders-co-author-guide-on-reducing-concretes-embodied-carbon/