CLF Boston Impact Series 2021

June 22, 2021

Session hosted on June 22, 2021

Healthcare and Science & Technology spaces and buildings demand specific and unique performance criteria to support the challenges of scientific study needs, material safety and occupant health and safety. Solutions to criteria like vibration control and high air-changes involve additional material which likely results in additional embodied carbon. Join us for a discussion to explore these and other challenges within this sector and building-type, with a goal of identifying opportunities and related action items to move forward with carbon reductions.

Session hosted June 15, 2021 Discussions around embodied carbon often focuses on structure and envelope, but the reality is that many projects involve the renovation or build out of interior spaces, and the cumulative impact of interiors over time, by some estimates, will exceed that of the base building. This session will engage practitioners and owners of interiors scope to discuss to talk about the opportunities and obstacles for doing better on interior projects and procurement. Come prepared to ask questions, share ideas, and identify a plan for yourself and the wider community to move forward.

Session hosted June 10, 2021 Site design professionals play a critical role in helping to reduce the embodied (and operational) carbon in the landscape. The landscape has an innate ability to naturally sequester carbon from the atmosphere, and even small design choices can result in significant carbon reductions. By asking the challenging questions from the outset of the project, a logical path can be developed to ensure the early integration of low-carbon design strategies [What is the primary use of the space? To what extent are hardscape materials needed? How and where are the materials made? Where are the plant materials being grown and transported from? Can any of the design elements be recycled in the future?]. This session will examine ways to take a holistic approach to site design and will review carbon tracking/calculating with the intent of creating a more sustainable and ecologically sensitive built environment. The intent is for this to be a collaborative and open discussion, so all ideas are welcome.

Session hosted June 7, 2021 In this session, presenters will introduce key themes, strategies, and considerations that build upon topics from the Embodied Carbon 101 series, applying them to Preservation and Reuse Projects. Going beyond those, presenters will introduce emerging conversations around the time-value of carbon and the Reuse- and Preservation-first design strategies that address this critical issue. Methods for calculation and considerations for carbon reduction will also be discussed. Finally, ample time will be left for discussion, soliciting ideas, concerns, and needs for future discussions from attendees.