Structural Engineers Leading Their Industry To Net Zero

Photo by Scott Blake on Unsplash

”Where can I start" and "What can I do" are two of the most common questions one asks when faced with tackling climate change and environmental issues within a profession or industry.

The challenge seems so massive and out of reach due to having a global scale, spanning centuries, and being rooted in the bedrock of our civilization's very foundation - our industrial economy.

It is only natural that, standing in the shadow of such a towering challenge, we ponder about how exactly we can bring it back to our level - as long as on the other side of that contemplation, we find the answer.

There is an answer for most professions and businesses due to the fact that we all take part modestly but tangibly in moving this industrial economy forward with all our combined actions, and we now stand at a crossroads.

Many businesses and professionals understand that - so do structural engineers.

Birth of the SE 2050 Commitment Program

As progress is made in improving the energy efficiency of buildings and decarbonising the electrical grid, attention has increasingly turned to the emissions associated with the manufacture of materials like cement and steel, which can now exceed the operational emissions of buildings over their lifespan.

In 2019, a group of passionate structural engineers saw an opportunity to address this critical issue, leading to the creation of SE 2050 Commitment Program (SE 2050).

"Historically, structural engineers were somewhat sidelined in sustainability conversations. It wasn’t until the Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF) began emphasizing “embodied carbon” that this started to change." Luke Lombardi, co-chair of the SE 2050 Leadership Group

SE 2050 is an initiative led by the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers. It represents a coordinated effort within the structural engineering profession to achieve the globally recognised goal of net zero carbon emissions in the built environment by 2050.

The current objective of the programme is to educate and enable engineers to actively participate in sustainability efforts.

The SE 2050 programme operates across three main strategic areas: Plan, Implement, and Share. Signatory firms commit to developing an Embodied Carbon Action Plan (ECAP) and providing their staff with training on embodied carbon and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).

They then implement sustainable project goals by pursuing low-carbon designs, specifying low-carbon materials, and assessing the embodied carbon footprint of their projects using LCA methodologies.

Finally, they share embodied carbon data from their structural systems in a central database to facilitate understanding national trends and setting appropriate reduction targets.

Leading Through Collaboration

To date, over 130 firms are actively submitting ECAPs and reporting data annually, contributing to the largest dataset on structural embodied carbon in the United States. This collective effort has fostered a broader understanding of embodied carbon and low-carbon design practices within the structural engineering sector.

Recognising the rapid advancements in the field of embodied carbon, SE 2050 prioritises collaboration with other commitment programs and data collection initiatives, such as AIA 2030 and MEP 2040.

Additionally, architects play a crucial role in helping structural engineers address material efficiency through strategic design choices such as adaptive reuse, reducing structural spans, using natural building materials, or reusing products like steel beams.

The white paper "Achieving Net Zero Embodied Carbon in Building Materials by 2050" describes various design and material strategies to reduce embodied carbon. No single solution can allow for the necessary reductions within the industry, which is why collaboration with partners and other industries is so important. Just a few examples of emissions reduction strategies include:

• Design Optimisation: Employing techniques to minimise the amount of materials used, such as optimising column grids, beam spacing, using hollow-core or post-tensioned slab systems for concrete, composite design or bracing for steel, and advanced framing techniques for wood. This could potentially reduce embodied carbon by 10% to 25%.

• Material Specifications: Selecting materials with lower embodied carbon, such as low-cement concrete or supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), high-strength steel, and wood from sustainably managed forests. This could result in a reduction of 10% to 25%.

• Substituting Structural Systems: Replacing traditional high-embodied-carbon materials like concrete and steel with alternatives such as wood, bamboo, or straw where appropriate. This could potentially reduce embodied carbon by 15% to 25%.

Decarbonising the electrical grid through increased use of renewable energy sources would also contribute to reducing the embodied carbon of materials, particularly steel produced in electric arc furnaces. Improvements in material manufacturing processes such as cement and steel, including increased energy efficiency, fuel switching, and carbon capture technologies, are also crucial. The use of blended cements and cement substitutes has the potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions from the cement and concrete industries.

SE 2050 Commitment programme represents a significant step towards reducing embodied carbon within the structural engineering profession. Achieving the goal of zero structural carbon by 2050 requires unprecedented collaboration among all stakeholders in the building sector, including architects, structural engineers, material manufacturers, and policymakers. By focusing on planning, implementation, and sharing knowledge and data, the industry can collectively drive systemic change and create a more sustainable future.

Key Takeaways for Membership Organisations

• Data collection informs strategy: Robust data is essential for setting meaningful carbon reduction targets.

• Education and advocacy are key: SE 2050 partly emerged thanks to a growing focus on embodied emissions. Don't wait for your sector to be called upon for action - make it clear to everyone what you think the role of your industry should be, and what blocks the road.

• Collaboration within and beyond industry drives impact: Strength lies in numbers. Partnering with other sustainability initiatives strengthens industry-wide efforts. Achieving net-zero carbon will require broad participation from firms and professionals across and beyond your sector.

• Membership organisations can create decarbonisation pathways: SE 2050 emerged from the Structural Engineering Institute, and their work is now inspiring the entire sector, placing structural engineers as the leaders of the next decades' economy.

Join Climate Action for Associations by following this link to learn from the experience of other membership organisations.

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This article was adapted from an interview of Luke Lombardi, published in Architect Magazine by Vincent Martinez.