Pilcrow: Strategies for Integrating Embodied Carbon into Architectural Practice

<p><strong>“What we do in the next few years, will determine the next few thousand years” . Words such as this from Sir David Attenborough, among many others, have directly inspired people all over the world to take note of the seriousness of climate change. In response, industries and governments alike have established targets to be carbon neutral by 2050, to trigger efforts towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The construction industry is no different. Being responsible for 20% of the emissions in New Zealand , and 39% of those worldwide , construction offers a significant opportunity to positively contribute to these carbon neutral targets. For decades, sustainability has been heavily associated with operational carbon, i.e., the reduction of building energy use. Only in recent years have the emissions associated with the material extraction, manufacturing, and transportation of materials, known as embodied carbon, been acknowledged. The field is becoming increasingly popular, both in scholarly and practical circles. Governments, certification standards, and financing requirements incentivise recording embodied carbon emissions reductions and their public disclosure. This acceleration puts pressure on architects and designers to reduce the embodied carbon impact of their work. However, there is a significant knowledge and skill gap in the industry to meet the demand for disclosure of embodied carbon. Many established professionals face an urgent need to understand and extract actionable insights from a new field of knowledge to achieve reductions in practice. This research responds to the pressing need for new knowledge related to embodied carbon and its application in the real world and asks the question Can embodied carbon be integrated into the architectural design process to support low-carbon decision-making? A collaborative action research framework was adopted to develop contributions to both industry and the wider academic literature. Measure, design, and value were established as key research objectives at the beginning of the study, with the aim of collecting data through a range of different scientific, creative, and ethnographic methods while being embedded within New Zealand’s largest architectural practice, Warren and Mahoney. The goal was to understand how to successfully implement data-informed decision-making into design practice, enabling industry professionals to turn climate commitments into actionable outcomes on real-world projects. The embedded approach enabled intervention in, observation of, and reflection on the opportunities and barriers that affect design teams in practice.</strong></p><p>Several research cycles were undertaken on both completed and active projects at different design stages. Each cycle investigated measurement workflows, design stages, and factors that influenced decision-making. Observations of the practice were made through focused workshops on embodied carbon and participation in design team meetings. The results of this research demonstrate how the concept of embodied carbon can unlock design opportunities by bringing attention to the time and physical scales of design. The primary contribution of this research is a detailed analysis of and reflection on a subset of the 50+ projects the researcher was exposed to while embedded in Warren and Mahoney. Specifically, how embodied carbon research influences design thinking, and how carbon evaluation in a New Zealand context can lead the wider industry towards a shared zero carbon objective. This thesis aims to provide tangible steps the construction industry can, and must, take to contribute to a low carbon future.</p>