Description
We are in a climate emergency. The built environment is responsible for roughly half of all greenhouse gas emissions, and, with the predicted construction growth in upcoming years, the problem can seem overwhelming and unmanageable. However, as designers we are poised with the opportunity to make the biggest impact by adapting our professional practice. Our lecture will break down a traditional lifecycle analysis, shed light on how to calculate embodied carbon at each design stage, and explain how to draw conclusions from the results. We will also present MASS Design Group’s integrated approach to reducing its environmental footprint and dive into the challenges faced in the firm’s applications across the United States and various African nations. Addressing the climate crisis will require a rigorous inquiry into traditional design methodology across all disciplines; however, the tools and resources we will share are directly applicable to architects and structural engineers.
Key Learnings
- Learn how to calculate embodied carbon for typical and unconventional materials to make smart design decisions.
- Talk about embodied carbon and engage clients, designers, and supply chains.
- Learn how to integrate embodied carbon into your design process including a method for using Revit.
- Learn about the typical hurdles to low-environmental-impact designs and how to address them.
Speakers
- JKJames KitchinJames Kitchin is an Associate Engineer for MASS Design Group based in the Kigali office since 2017. He joined on a short term Engineering Without Borders UK fellowship with the aim of building capacity and with his addition the team grew to three structural engineers. James has led a number of projects including phases of the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture and more recently The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund project. James has also led research on potential locally fabricated structural materials and techniques including earth, bamboo, and lightweight concrete. Prior to joining MASS, James was an engineer and project manager at AECOM in Cambridge, UK, working on domestic and international projects from refurbishments of cultural institutions to steel gridshell station canopies.
- HNHabintwari Jean Paul (Nelson)Jean Paul “Nelson” Habintwari joined MASS Design Group in 2017 as an Engineer based in the Rwanda office. He led the office’s complete transition from AutoCAD to Revit and provides workshops on many pieces of software, including Dynamo. The engineering team started using Revit in 2017 and Nelson set up and maintains the discipline’s drawing standards. Since joining MASS Nelson has focused on the structural design and drawing of the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture and more recently The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. His experience in the construction industry over the last decade includes design, construction, and supervision in a number of East African countries.
Video Player is loading.
No transcript