Carbon modeling workshop focuses on skill-building and decarbonizing your projects

Posted on by William Richards

There’s a lot of talk about decarbonization out there—and for good reason. It’s widely agreed to be an effective strategy to reduce the embodied and operational carbon footprint of our design and building activities. Embodied carbon, in particular, is a hard nut to crack because—as all architects know all too well—the number of variables in a project’s timeline is formidable. For the uninitiated, it’s calculated as “global warming potential” (or GWP) and expressed in equivalent units of carbon dioxide (CO2e), which we can quantify during a life cycle assessment (LCA) that involves environmental product declarations (EPDs). 

If you read that paragraph and took a minute to catch your breath, you’re not alone. 

But, AIA Central Virginia Technology in Architectural Practice Committee (TAP) and AIA Virginia’s Committee on the Environment (COTE) has your back. On Monday, Aug. 28, head over to the office of Grimm + Parker Architects in Charlottesville (lunch will be provided) and join a blue ribbon group of experts for the Embodied Carbon Modeling Workshop. For 90 minutes, you’ll have a laptop pre-loaded with Revit, TallyLCA, Tally CAT and Autodesk Insight Tech Preview and you’ll be able to test-drive an embodied carbon assessment in a demo project. The focus is on you and by the end of it, you’ll be able to return to your office and begin the process of reducing embodied carbon in your projects. Registration is open.

Don’t miss this chance to make a change in your work—and inspire others. Decarbonization takes all of us.

Virginia COTE Architects to Host ArchEx Workshops

Posted on by cguske

William Abrahamson, AIA, is a senior associate at Grimm + Parker Architects, with offices in Charlottesville, Tysons, and Calverton, Maryland. He’s also Co-Chair of Virginia’s Committee on the Environment (COTE), which is hosting “Creating Your Sustainability Action Plan,” a workshop at Architecture Exchange East (ArchEx)  in November. Since July, Virginia COTE members have been presenting a multi-part series called “Embodied Carbon 101,” which originated with the Boston Society of Architecture and aims to empower architects at the design and specification stages (and beyond) to make sustainable choices. At ArchEx, Abrahamson and COTE will offer specific and actionable steps for architects and designers to continuously work with the environment in mind.

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Embodied Carbon 101: Carbon Accounting

Learn the principles of carbon accounting and its application in design & construction.

This course introduces the process of carbon accounting. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is the tool used to quantify the carbon footprint and other environmental impacts of a material or assembly. Presenters define the basic terminology related to LCA as well as summarize the process of life cycle assessment. Overall, the course illustrates how the principles of carbon accounting can be applied to design and construction at all scales, using the breadth of data and tools available.

Presented by Virginia COTE with support from AIA Virginia’s Knowledge Community Grant program and the following sponsors:

SILVER
Mafi

BRONZE
Bamforth Engineers + Surveyors

Earn 1.5 AIA LU|HSW

Register online.

Embodied Carbon 101: Basic Literacy

Build and refine your literacy in embodied carbon.

This course features an expert panel of AEC practitioners and researchers who define the embodied carbon issue and key terms and concepts—including health and sustainability implications. They provide information on data resources and rating systems available to support and execute embodied carbon decisions during design, specification, and construction. The panel also discusses how information on the embodied carbon and environmental impacts of building materials and products can be incorporated into design decisions and influence project outcomes. They use case studies to illustrate different life cycle assessment (LCA) types, structural systems, and implementation of embodied carbon design decisions through construction.

Presented by Virginia COTE with support from AIA Virginia’s Knowledge Community Grant program and the following sponsors:

SILVER
Mafi

BRONZE
Bamforth Engineers + Surveyors

Earn 1.5 AIA LU|HSW

Register online.

The 2030 Challenge: Goals, Design Processes and Panel Discussion

The building sector is the single largest consumer of energy and producer of greenhouse gas emissions. The 2030 Challenge, adopted by the AIA, provides a path to reducing our sector’s negative impacts and reaching carbon neutral design as the standard practice. This series will inspire architects to meet the 2030 Challenge through design strategies, efficient technologies and systems, and applying renewable energy resources.

The design process is an important element in the creation of next-generation buildings that meet the 2030 Challenge targets. Explore the design processes to produce high-performance and carbon neutral buildings, including the Integrative Design Process (IDP). Then, hear collaborative strategies that can achieve low energy outcomes, and how these strategies can be used as a roadmap throughout the design process. In particular, we will examine defining core, early design decisions such as building form and orientation.

After that, join an interactive discussion about what can often be the biggest challenge making the business case for climate responsive design with your clients.

(The course will include a mid-session break)

Earn 2.5 AIA LU | HSW

Register online.

Presenters:

Edward Mazria, FAIA, FRAIC | Architecture 2030, Founder/CEO

Mary Ann Lazarus, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C | MALeco, LLC, Principal

Rand Ekman AIA, LEED Fellow | CannonDesign, Director of Sustainability

Nathan Kipnis, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C | Kipnis Architecture + Planning, Principal

Kim Shinn, PE, LEED Fellow, CxA, BEMP | TLC Engineering for Architecture, Principal, Senior Sustainability Wizard

Kirk Teske, FAIA, LEED Fellow| HKS Architecture, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Sustainability Officer

Panelists:

Tate Walker, |OPN Architects, AIA 2030 Commitment Chair

Anica Landreneau, Assoc. AIA |  HOK, Director of Sustainable Design,

Don Kranbuehl, FAIA |Clark Nexsen, Principal, Chair of the AIANC Triangle COTE

David Peabody, FAIA | Peabody Architects, Principal

Manoj Dalaya, FAIA | KGD Architecture, Principal

Moderated by: D. Matthew Alexander, AIA | KGD Architecture, Senior Associate, Chair AIAVA COTE Program