Petal: Materials
Imperative 11: Embodied Carbon Footprint
 

Minimizing Carbon Impact

The Living Building Challenge requires all projects to account for the total embodied carbon impact from the construction process through a one-time carbon offset. However, the goal is to reduce this initial embodied carbon pollution; thereby, lowering the size of the one-time offset.

Climate change has become a political topic and therefore conversations about the reduction of carbon pollution can be difficult. By design, The Kendeda Building provides a pathway to have carbon discussions that focus on common goals. For example, The Kendeda Building extensively uses mass timber products because wood has substantially lower embodied carbon pollution compared to steel or concrete. This fact highlights the economic development opportunities that can result from constructing commercial buildings from local wood products. 

According to the Georgia Forestry Association, Georgia has 22 million acres of commercially available, private timberland, more than any other state. While the requirements of the Living Building Challenge necessitated the building to use some mass timber products imported from other states in the Southeast, the project highlights the importance of expanding Georgia's ability to provide timber products for commercial buildings. 

The Kendeda Building's extensive use of mass timber displaces the need for concrete and steel. Concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials in the world. Cement, a key ingredient of concrete, accounts for approximately 8% of total global CO2 emissions. To decrease this impact, The Kendeda Building incorporated technology that reduces the embodied carbon pollution of cement. Thomas Concrete, a local firm, provided this innovative process. To learn more, click here: https://livingbuilding.kendedafund.org/2019/07/16/carboncure.

The building Kendeda Building also reduces carbon pollution by incorporating salvaged building materials.