When is the right time to consider Embodied Carbon in our designs?

When is the right time to consider Embodied Carbon in our designs?
𝑯𝒊𝒏𝒕: 𝑺𝒐𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒓 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌.

In building design, the timing of decisions can dramatically influence both the carbon footprint as well as the cost of change.

Drawing inspiration from the curve of MacLeamy (2004), dating back to Boyd (1976), which illustrates that design changes become costlier as a project progresses while their impact on the outcome diminishes, we might find an interesting parallel to designing for low carbon impact.

Yet, now that we finally have the tools to calculate carbon impact within the design practice, I've heard numerous reasons for delay: "We don't have the right info yet," "Without a BIM model, we can't run an LCA", "We don’t have the data", "It's too much work”, etc

But here is the thing: 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞.

Just after project initiation, the most important decisions about its environmental impact are made by the choices whether a building is even necessary or what size it has to be... As the design progresses, opportunities to influence embodied carbon diminish quickly.

We often decide on the structural system early on, thinking we still have freedom in various sub-systems later. But by then, much of the carbon impact is already locked in.

So, when is the right moment to consider embodied carbon? It's at every point along the design lifecycle, but the magic happens at the beginning.

How do it then, when the information to feed our new tools is not there yet?

Let's use our expertise, and even gut feeling in the very early stages. And yes, use those software tools to guide and verify your early choices later on.

And with time, assessing carbon impact will become intuition, just like any other aspect of building design.

Embodied carbon shouldn't be an afterthought or a box to check after the new EPBD, which was voted on in the European parliament last week, becomes integrated in your local building code. It's a crucial element from the very first sketch.

What do you think? When do you take embodied carbon into account in your projects? What are the ways you found to help along your gut feeling. And what are the issues you are currently facing?