Here's an unsurprising (yet still alarming) fact about the AEC industry: our sector is one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.
In 2022, the International Energy Agency (IEA) published that according to the latest data, the built environment generates 40% of annual global CO2 emissions (Architecture 2030). Of those emissions, 27% are attributed to building operations, known as “operational carbon”. Meanwhile, building and infrastructure materials and the construction processes used to erect a building account for 13% of emissions, or “embodied carbon".
Making a distinction between buildings’ operational and embodied carbon is important because these two types of emissions have different scales of impact and are generated at different times along the asset lifecycle from design through end of life.
Operational carbon emissions can be mitigated by implementing a variety of measures such as energy-efficient building systems and renewable energy initiatives. In contrast, the effects of embodied carbon in construction materials are irreversible post-construction. Once the building is erected and the materials are already used, any negative consequences that result from sourcing those materials cannot be undone.
All of this highlights the importance of making informed choices about building materials in construction projects to reduce environmental impacts. Not all materials are created equal; depending on how and where they were manufactured, one building component could have much lower embodied carbon than another that looks and performs the same.
If we want to build a more sustainable future, we must be proactive in evaluating and selecting materials based on their carbon footprint.
This is precisely what the Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3) helps you do. Created by Building Transparency with input from nearly 50 industry partners, including Autodesk, EC3 is a free, cloud-based tool that helps users choose carbon-smart materials.
The EC3 tool takes data from Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) to assess and present embodied carbon impacts in a way that's easy to use and act upon. You can use it to view the embodied carbon impact of the materials going into your projects, enabling you to select and procure those with the lowest carbon impact.
Ultimately, this helps construction firms build more sustainably and paves the way for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the AEC industry.
At Autodesk, we're committed to giving construction professionals the tools they need to make smarter and more sustainable choices. When EC3 initially launched, it was integrated with Autodesk BIM 360. Now, we’re taking it a step further with the EC3 and Autodesk Construction Cloud integration. The integration enables connected workflows between Autodesk Takeoff, a 2D and 3D quantification solution in Autodesk Construction Cloud, Autodesk Docs, the centralized document management solution, and EC3. Together, these solutions empower builders to optimize their decisions based on environmental impact.
Here's how: Start by enabling the "EC3 for Autodesk Construction Cloud" app. From there, you can easily import 2D and 3D takeoff packages and quantities in Autodesk Takeoff and, through the EC3 integration, compare materials based on their carbon impact and import the results in Autodesk Docs. Let's take a closer look at the integration's key capabilities.
View and compare materials. To get the climate impact of building materials, log into EC3 and import a project and the desired 2D and/or 3D Takeoff quantities. Populate the project address and further refine your material requirements and enter your specifications (e.g., strength and slump if specifying ready-mix concrete).
The calculator will compare the carbon intensity of different locally available materials that all meet the required specifications. Any quantity updates made in Autodesk Takeoff can be synced to EC3, allowing teams to make informed decisions iteratively as the project progresses.
“Reducing a property’s carbon footprint has become a priority, and we’re seeing a lot of companies across different sectors focus on these efforts. As construction professionals, we have a unique opportunity to address this. Because we’re already doing quantity takeoffs of materials such as concrete, we can develop early budgets and verify bids. Autodesk Takeoff Integrates seamlessly with the new EC3 platform to bring carbon data into our decision-making process and suggest proactive modifications to the design ahead of construction rather than report on what’s already been built.” - Rudy Kimball, Sr. Project Manager, CBRE
EC3 and Autodesk Construction Cloud is an excellent solution for firms serious about meeting their sustainability goals. By enabling you to view and compare materials quickly, you can optimize your material selection process and ensure you’re on the most sustainable path forward.
Generate Carbon + Cost reports. Once the potential materials are selected, teams will be able to create detailed summary reports; EC3 already enables the LEED Report format, which follows the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Low Carbon Procurement Pilot credit requirements.
With the Autodesk Construction Cloud integration, you can also compare carbon impacts with costing data in accordance with the recently launched International Cost Management Standard 3rd edition (ICMS 3rd edition reporting standard) developed by a coalition of fifty global professional bodies, including the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Enabling a quantity surveyor or cost manager to add and classify their project costs data following the ICMS standards, ICMS 3 edition is the first industry standard to provide a single and consistent framework for life cycle costs and carbon emissions.
EC3 can export embodied carbon data back to Autodesk Takeoff according to the ICMS reporting format, offering a first step for users to evaluate both carbon & cost in the procurement phase.
You can save these reports directly to Autodesk Docs, which serves as a common data environment (CDE) across all Autodesk Construction Cloud solutions. This enables you to effectively document your efforts, ensuring that teams can access the necessary material information when needed.
This capability facilitates more data-driven conversations between owners and designers, helping them in their discussions around climate-smart substitutions.
"The pilot project with Autodesk has been a great opportunity for Aecon to measure carbon and make data-driven decisions to manage and reduce carbon emissions for construction projects. This has been especially true for embodied carbon as the tools allow us to analyze and optimize energy use and materials efficiency and calculate the environmental impacts of different building materials. The commitment and progress we’re seeing from Autodesk and EC3 is encouraging and will help us, help our clients in achieving their carbon reduction goals."- Prabh K. Banga, Vice-President, Sustainability – Aecon
"As a data professional, my goal is to structure data in a way that empowers clients and designers with timely insights. Traditional carbon tracking often gets bogged down in complexity -- It involves aggregating a large amount of information from various sources that can be in constant flux. Setting up and vetting the sources narrows the window for timely analysis. Integrating Autodesk Takeoff and EC3 stacks the deck back in our favor. It offers a single source of truth, version control, flexible permissions, and culminates in the round-trip of structured data from EC3. This much-needed workflow boosts effectiveness.” - Moses Scott, Digital Technology & Data Analytics Specialist – SNHA, A Woolpert Company
See the Autodesk Construction Cloud and EC3 Integration in action.
We all have a part to play in curbing carbon emissions in the construction sector and fostering a more sustainable built environment for everyone. Autodesk and EC3 can help you do just that. Learn more about the integration and discover how it can take your sustainability efforts to the next level.
If you are new to Autodesk Takeoff, learn more about the 2D and 3D takeoff solution here.
