Tag Archives: Embodied carbon

Applying the carbon equation to insulating glass units (IGUs)

Since its introduction, insulating glass units (IGUs) have provided significant reductions in operational carbon emissions from buildings—yet, they increase the embodied (upfront) carbon. This is because the amount of energy (and carbon) intensive glass used is doubled in an IGU compared to monolithic glass and the service life is significantly reduced from many hundreds of years to 20 to 40 years.

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Sustainable construction practices with concrete masonry

In current construction, concrete masonry units (CMUs) are used as both structural and architectural building materials. CMUs are ideal candidates for carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration because they are porous and carbonate quickly when left exposed to the atmosphere (weathering carbonation) and can also be cured with CO2 in a closed chamber with either low pressure or high-pressure steam (pre-carbonation).

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Integrating mass timber in low-rise construction

With operating energy reductions now incentivized by Passive House Canada and zero-carbon building programs, alongside incremental improvements mandated in legislation such as theBC Energy Step Code, increased attention is being given to the embodied carbon in buildings. In this regard, mass timber products and systems offer reduced carbon impacts, shorter construction times, and enhanced building performance.

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