Carlisle, S., Waldman, B., Lewis, M., and Simonen, K. (2021). 2021 Carbon Leadership Forum Material Baseline Report, (version 2). Carbon Leadership Forum, University of Washington. Seattle, WA. July 2021. University of Washington ResearchWorks Archive.
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Abstract
The building industry has an essential role to play in tackling climate change associated with building construction and materials manufacturing. Our present understanding of the importance of embodied carbon has been enabled by rigorous quantitative modeling that tracks carbon emissions across the full life of materials and products, using life cycle assessment (LCA). In recent years, the building industry has adopted LCA as the globally accepted method for evaluating and communicating environmental impacts, and applied these methods to the study of materials, products, and assemblies. LCA data and results are essential for guiding science-based efforts to decarbonize buildings and infrastructure.
The Carbon Leadership Forum is part of a broad movement working to drive down the embodied carbon of building materials and products by encouraging the disclosure of high-quality embodied carbon data by manufacturers. It is essential that designers, owners, and policymakers have access to verified, third-party reviewed and published data on building materials and products in order to facilitate procurement decisions, set decarbonization targets, and inform design. One tool for achieving this goal has been the collection and use of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) to inform decision-making.
The development of a material baseline originated in support of the Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3). The EC3 Baseline was originally published in 2019. This document supersedes the baseline dated May 2020. The EC3 tool and its open-access database of digital EPDs are one source for accessing and evaluating available EPDs and the relative carbon impacts that they report. Such databases support designers, owners, and policymakers in selecting low-carbon products during procurement and design. These databases are dynamic, updated constantly as new products are added and upstream data on key processes, such as carbon intensity of regional electricity grids, are revised.
Kriegh, J., Magwood, C., Srubar, W., Lewis, M., Simonen, K. (2021). Transformative Carbon-Storing Materials: Accelerating an Ecosystem Report. https://hdl.handle.net/1773/48126
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Abstract
The potential for meaningful climate impact through materials that serve as carbon sinks now gives such materials a clear advantage, with the potential to reverse the climate profile of buildings from a leading driver of carbon emissions to carbon reservoirs that can help reverse it.
Lewis, M., Huang, M., Simonen, K. (2021), “Embodied Carbon Toolkit for Building Owners”. Carbon Leadership Forum.
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Abstract
Investors, developers, and public or private building owners and tenants are essential to reducing embodied carbon because they play an important role in spurring new projects and setting project requirements. Prioritizing carbon early in a project reduces cost and increases the range of strategies available, while signaling markets about the importance of low-carbon materials.
Lewis, M., Huang, M., Carlisle, S. Simonen, K. (2021), AIA-CLF Embodied Carbon Toolkit for Architects, Carbon Leadership Forum and AIA National.
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Abstract
The AIA-CLF Embodied Carbon Toolkit for Architects serves to provide architects an overview and the necessary steps to be taken to reduce embodied carbon in their projects. This resource is divided into three parts, introducing the necessary steps and resources to take in reducing embodied carbon. This resource intends to empower building designers by:
-introducing embodied carbon and discussing its significance in furthering architects’ influence in decarbonizing the building industry.
-providing an understanding of measuring embodied carbon through the methodology of a life cycle assessment.
-equipping them with strategies to reduce embodied carbon in their own projects.
-incorporating additional resources for implemented strategies and tools that this resource examines.
Hou, Jeffrey. 2021. Civic Resilience and the COVID-19 Crisis in Urban Asia. Journal of Geographical Science, 100: 121-136. DOI: 10.6161/jgs.202112_(100).0006
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Abstract
Civil society responses including self-help and mutual aid have played an important role in addressing the COVID-19 crisis around the world, including Asia. They represent a form of civic resilience, the ability of citizens and communities to cope with and adapt to social, economic, and environmental disturbances. But how exactly did communities and social groups in Asia self-organize to address challenges during the pandemic, particularly those facing the most vulnerable populations in society? What did these cases have in common? What can we learn from these civil society responses for future planning? What were the roles of researchers, spatial planning professionals, and institutions in strengthening community resilience? This article presents outcomes from a two-part webinar titled ＂Bottom-Up Resilience＂ that took place in July 2020 featuring activists, organizers, and researchers from Hong Kong, Manila, Shanghai, Singapore, Taipei, and Tokyo. Preliminary findings include contrasting responses from institutions and civil society actors, how the civil society responses have built upon and expanded trust and empathy in a given place, how civil society responses scale up, and such scalability has depended heavily on solidarity and collaboration. The article further discusses how these efforts represent a form of civic resilience, the continued barriers, and implications for spatial planning practices.
Inanici, M. (2021). Research Methods in Daylighting and Electric Lighting. In: Azari, R., Rashed-Ali, H. (eds) Research Methods in Building Science and Technology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73692-7_4
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Abstract
Research in daylighting and electric lighting focuses on the physical quantity of light, physiological response to the physical stimuli, and the resulting visual perception. This chapter starts with an overview of the measurement and simulation-based research approaches used in understanding and quantifying the lighting availability and variability in the luminous environment. Field and laboratory measurements are discussed along with computational techniques. The rest of the chapter focuses on psychophysical research methods that aim to quantify the human physiological and psychological responses to the quantity and distribution of light.
Keywords
Daylighting; Electric lighting; Visual comfort; Visual performance; Visual perception; Energy efficiency; Circadian lighting
Borys, Ann Marie (2021). American Unitarian Churches: Architecture of a Democratic Religion. University of Massachusetts Press.
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McLaren, B. (2021). Modern Architecture, Empire, and Race in Fascist Italy. Brill Rodopi.
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Borys, A. M. (2021). American Unitarian Churches: Architecture of a Democratic Religion. University of Massachusetts Press.
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Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl. (2014). Westlake. The Pacific Northwest Quarterly, 112(2), 68-90.
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