The real estate sector is one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions globally – and it’s not just because of the power used to electrify or cool a building. Creating and transporting all of the materials that go into a building is a huge source of carbon emissions that the industry is now trying to reel in by tracking what’s known as embodied carbon. In this episode of Looped In, we talk to Skanska USA’s Houston lead, Matt Damborsky, about how the developer is reducing the embodied carbon in its office skyscraper 1550 on the Green in downtown Houston. We also get an in-depth look at how more real estate firms and construction suppliers are tracking embodied carbon using an online database called EC3 tool, talking with one of its creators, Stacy Smedley. The good news: it’s not as expensive or time-consuming as you might think to significantly lower embodied carbon emissions, and Skanska is hoping more real estate firms follow suit.
Check out Building Transparency’s Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3) tool
Related articles:
In downtown Houston, a prominent developer’s new officer tower is breaking ground on carbon emissions
5 things to know about $225M skyscraper rising near Discovery Green
Our obsession with new buildings, McMansions is driving up emissions
Hines’ ambitious net zero carbon goals could impact 27 million square feet of Houston real estate
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