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Embodied Carbon Inputs
Embodied Carbon Inputs

General and Advanced Inputs

David Speedlin avatar
Written by David Speedlin
Updated this week

General Inputs

Construction Type

The building construction type or scope, selected from new construction or renovation.

Expected Building Life

The expected building life refers to the period a building is designed to remain functional, durable, and in use. This is typically defined during the design and planning stages and varies depending on the building's intended purpose, construction quality, and maintenance practices. Common design life cycles include 20, 60, 75, or 100 years, though these values can differ based on regulatory, geographical, and industry-specific standards.

Design Stage

The design stage of a project indicates its progress within the overall building design and construction process at the time of conducting an embodied carbon analysis. This is an essential factor as the stage determines the level of detail available for materials, construction methods, and other key inputs that influence the accuracy of the carbon assessment.

Typical design stages include:

  1. Concept Design (CD): Preliminary ideas and refinement of the building’s purpose and design intent.

  2. Schematic Design (SD): Early-stage concepts and rough layouts.

  3. Design Development (DD): Detailed specifications and selection of materials begin.

  4. Construction Documentation (CD): Finalized plans and detailed drawings for construction.

  5. Construction: Active building phase, where actual materials and methods are used.

  6. Completed: Post-construction stage, where the building is operational.

Structural System

The structural system defines the main load-bearing framework of a building and influences its embodied carbon footprint by setting default values for horizontal (floors/roofs), vertical (columns/walls), and slab systems. Options include steel frame with infill beams or open-web joists, glulam frame with CLT decking, cast-in-place concrete, mass timber, wood stud frame, steel stud frame, and block walls. Each system has unique material properties, sustainability impacts, and applications. Selecting the correct system ensures accurate calculations, streamlines analysis, and supports sustainable decision-making during embodied carbon assessments.

Grid Spacing

The typical structural grid spacing or bay size for the project. The default is 9.144m (30ft) for both directions.

Advanced Input

Structures

Foundation Type

The Foundation Type defines the structural base of the building, with default options based on building height: The default will be set to piles for structures over six stories and strip footings for those under six stories.

  • Pile Foundation: Requires either diameter or depth of each pile (or both) to calculate total volume.

  • Strip Foundation: Includes footing depth, strip width, and footing thickness, with defaults available for direct volume calculation.

  • Pier Foundation: Similar to piles, needs diameter or depth (or both) for volume calculation.

  • Slab on Grade: Calculated using assemblies set in the Assembly Builder, unless overridden in the embodied carbon settings.

Superstructure Systems

The Superstructure Systems section offers a range of options for horizontal and vertical superstructures, allowing for tailored material selection and accurate embodied carbon calculations.

Horizontal Superstructure Options:

  1. Non-PT Concrete: Conventional concrete slabs without post-tensioning.

  2. Steel Frame: Steel beams and girders for high-strength and long spans.

  3. Glulam Beams and Girders: Engineered timber beams for sustainable construction.

  4. Open Web Steel Joist: Lightweight steel joists for efficient load distribution.

  5. Wood Trusses: Lightweight, high-performance wood structures.

  6. Light Gauge Steel Frame: Cold-formed steel framing for lightweight and durable construction.

Vertical Superstructure Options:

  1. Cast-In-Place Concrete Columns: Durable and robust concrete columns for high-rise and heavy-load applications.

  2. Steel Columns: High-strength columns for long spans and heavy loads.

  3. Mass Timber Columns: Sustainable and lightweight timber columns.

  4. Wood Studs: Common for residential and light commercial projects.

  5. Steel Studs: Cold-formed steel framing for durable wall structures.

  6. CMU Blocks: Concrete masonry units for structural or non-structural walls.

Horizontal Slab Options:

  1. Non-PT Concrete: Conventional cast-in-place concrete slabs without post-tensioning.

  2. Concrete on Metal Deck: Composite slab systems using concrete over corrugated metal decking, commonly used in steel frame construction.

  3. CLT Panels: Cross-Laminated Timber panels, a sustainable option for mass timber buildings.

  4. DLT Panels: Dowel-Laminated Timber panels, an alternative to CLT with no adhesive or metal fasteners, ideal for low-carbon designs.

  5. No Slab: For cases where no structural slab is required, such as open-frame structures or alternative flooring systems.

Secondary Beams Per Bay

The typical number of infill beams per bay.

Joist Spacing

The on center (O.C.) spacing between joists for open web steel joists.

Lateral Bracing

The Lateral Bracing System ensures structural stability by resisting lateral forces such as wind or seismic loads. The supported systems include:

  1. Concrete Shear Wall: Reinforced concrete walls designed to resist lateral loads, offering high stiffness and durability.

  2. Masonry Shear Wall: Constructed using concrete masonry units (CMU), these walls provide structural stability and thermal mass benefits.

  3. Timber Shear Wall: Built from mass timber or engineered wood, these walls are a sustainable option for lateral bracing in timber structures.

  4. Steel Braced Frame: Steel members arranged in a braced frame configuration, providing flexibility and strength for resisting lateral forces.

Number of Braced Bays

The total number of structural bays to be braced.

Grid Dimensions

Grid dimensions may be set in x and y directions between 2m ( ft) and 30m ( ft). Grid dimensions control the shape of the structural bays used to estimate the structural quantities for the project.

Enclosures

The Enclosure section defines the parameters for window and façade assemblies, allowing for accurate estimation of material quantities and embodied carbon. Key inputs include:

  1. Assembly Type: Specifies the window or façade assembly type. For example, "Fixed window, type 2, double pane with light and heat reflective film." This determines the default properties and performance characteristics of the enclosure.

  2. Punched Opening Window:

    • Standard Panel Width: The width of the window panel, typically measured in feet.

    • Standard Panel Height: The height of the window panel, also measured in feet. These dimensions define the size of individual window panels.

  3. Mullion Size:

    • Mullion Width: The horizontal width of the mullion, measured in inches.

    • Mullion Depth: The depth of the mullion, measured in inches, defining its projection into the structure.

    • Mullion Profile Thickness: The thickness of the mullion's structural profile, measured in inches, affecting material use and structural stability.

Read more about Enclusers here.

Stairs

The Stairs Section allows users to input parameters related to both enclosed egress/fire stairwells and monumental staircases for accurate structural and carbon footprint calculations. The key inputs include:

  1. Number of Enclosed Stairwells: Total number of standard enclosed egress or fire stairwells. Dimensions are determined using floor-to-floor height, the number of floors served per stairwell, and the standard stair width.

  2. Stair Width: The standard width of egress or fire stairs, measured from the edge of the tread.

  3. Average Number of Floors Served Per Stairwell: The typical number of floors served by each stairwell, used to calculate the total height of the stairwell.

  4. Number of Monumental Stairs: Total number of monumental staircases in the project, which are often larger and more architecturally prominent than standard stairs.

  5. Landing Area for Monumental Stairs: The cumulative landing area for all monumental staircases in the project.

  6. Number of Landings for Monumental Stairs: The total count of landings across all monumental stairs.

Product Replacements

This section allows users to input the estimated replacement life of various building assemblies or categories. These values are used in conjunction with the building lifespan to calculate the number of replacements required throughout the building's lifecycle. Users can modify these values to align with project goals and objectives, ensuring the analysis reflects the intended durability, maintenance schedules, and sustainability targets.

Categories and Components:

  • Interior:

    • Floors: The finish layer of the floor assembly.

    • Ceiling: The entire ceiling assembly.

    • Interior Wall: The entire interior wall assembly.

  • Enclosures:

    • Glazing: Glazed elements across all assemblies.

    • Spandrel: Entire spandrel assemblies.

    • Roof Weatherproofing: The roofing membrane layer of roof assemblies.

    • Wall Insulation: The insulation layer in wall assemblies.

    • Roof Insulation: The insulation layer in roof assemblies.

    • Slab Insulation: The insulation layer in floor assemblies.

Operational Carbon

Grid Decarbonization Scenario

The grid decarbonization scenario to be applied in the lifetime operational carbon calculation. Based on Cambium data from NREL. Read more.

Initial Electric Grid Carbon Factor:

  • Represents the amount of greenhouse gases (kgCO₂e) emitted per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity generated.

  • Default values are sourced from current regional, national, or global datasets to ensure relevance and accuracy. Users can adjust this factor to align with updated grid data or project-specific assumptions.

Initial Grid Factor Year:

  • Specifies the year from which the initial grid carbon data is sourced. This ensures the analysis reflects the most recent energy grid conditions and emission factors.

Gas Consumption Carbon Factor:

  • Indicates the greenhouse gases (kgCO₂e) emitted per kilowatt-hour equivalent of gas consumed.

  • Default values are included but can be modified to reflect regional gas carbon factors or project-specific energy sources.

Project Options

Year of Construction Completion

The year of project completion and occupancy.

Embodied Carbon Baseline

Embodied carbon baseline. Selected from EC3 or CLF baselines (high, medium, or low). This value is used to compare the selected EPDs and carbon profiles against a fixed baseline for improvement metrics.

Typical Floor Live Load

Typical floor live load, initially found using an area weighted average based on building type. This value may be overridden and will be used in estimating the worst-case load scenario for structural estimates.

Dead Load Class

Typical dead load conditions allowed. This value is used in estimating the worst-case load scenario for structural estimates.

Insulation for CMU

Select insulated or non-insulated concrete masonry units.

Advanced Engineering Inputs

The Advanced Engineering section allows users to specify detailed structural parameters for cast-in-place concrete and steel design, ensuring accurate structural quantity and embodied carbon estimates. Users can adjust these inputs to align with project-specific goals or local engineering requirements.

Rebar Percentages:

  • Typical rebar percentages by cross-sectional area for cast-in-place concrete members.

  • If no values are provided, default calculated percentages are used for preliminary estimates. User-defined percentages override default values for greater precision.

Concrete Compressive Strength:

  • The 28-day compressive strength of concrete, expressed in psi or MPa.

  • This parameter is critical for structural analysis and material quantity estimates.

Steel Yield Strength:

  • The yield strength of steel (Fy), specified in ksi or MPa.

  • Used in determining the capacity and material requirements of steel members.

Load Safety Factors:

  • Factors for allowable stress design (steel) and load resistance factor design (concrete).

  • Defaults follow industry standards but can be adjusted for specific design approaches.

Allowable Soil Bearing Pressure:

  • The typical soil bearing pressure for the project site, used in foundation design and reporting (e.g., SE 2050).

  • This value is a reference for preliminary calculations and may be modified to reflect site-specific conditions.

Check out the embodied carbon feature now!

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