Embodied carbon calculations

IN-CLASS EXERCISE In-Class Exercise #09: Embodied Carbon Calculations

Complete Tasks A, B, and C:

This exercise was very helpful in explaining how the embodied carbon can vary significantly through building materials. There is more to just selecting materials, the impact prior to building, the building cost, the other materials needed for the main selected material, and the lifetime cost. These calculations help designers and architects navigate the what the best material choice will be for the project with the lowest material impact. Task A

Find the embodied carbon in this wall. Steps 1 - Establish the building materials that make up the wall. 2 - Calculate the weight of each material in your wall. 3 - Apply the embodied carbon factor to each material. 4 - Add all of the embodied carbon together.

Concrete blocks: 60ks/sm x 1.05= 63kg 0.133 x 63kg = 8.379 CO2e Mineral Wool Insulation: 7kg/sm x 1.03= 7.21kg 1.28 x 7.21= 9.2288 CO2e Bricks: 2.3kg/sm x 60= 138kg 0.5512 x 138= 76.0656CO2e

Mortar: 0.033 x 1,650= 54.45kg

Total embodied carbon: 126.2684 CO2e

Wall Ties: 5 x 6.519= 32.595 CO2e

Task B

4,500 kWh of electricity was used to power site lighting during construction. Construction site lighting is powered by fossil fuels. How much embodied carbon is in the site lighting?

Task C

1,400 m2 of carpet tiles are installed in an office on day #1. 25% of the carpet tiles are replaced every other year for the lifetime of the office space. The lifetime of the office space is 20 years. What is the total embodied carbon for the carpet flooring for the lifetime of the office space?

4,500 x .6= 2,700 CO2e

1,400 x 13.7= 19,180 CO2e construction 350 x 9 = 3,500 CO2e over 20 years Total over lifetime: 63,000 CO2e