Embodied and operational carbon tradeoffs

Building envelopes sit at the intersection of two carbon budgets: the embodied emissions of their materials and the operational emissions of heating, cooling and lighting. This research uses parametric modeling and multi-objective search to map the tradeoffs between the two, showing how local climates and the carbon intensity of energy grids shift the optimal design.

Collaborators

• Christopher Meek — UW Department of Architecture
• Teresa Moroseos — UW Department of Architecture

Publications

• On the tradeoffs between embodied and operational carbon in building envelope design: The impact of local climates and energy grids
• Impact of a dynamic grid mix and climate on operational carbon emissions modeling for different building typologies and climate zones
• The carbon sweet spot: Design tradeoffs for embodied and operational carbon in new buildings (ULI report)