A Diverse Perspective on Embodied Carbon Analysis for Structural System Selection

27 Sep 2023
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A Diverse Perspective on Embodied Carbon Analysis for Structural System Selection

A Diverse Perspective on Embodied Carbon Analysis for Structural System Selection

27 Sep 2023
About the speakers
  • Scott Brown
    Scott Brown
    National Mass Timber SME at DPR Construction
    Scott Brown has over 23 years of construction and manufacturing leadership experience and currently leads DPR as National Mass Timber SME. His career expertise in vertically integrated volumetric modular technology, integration and utilization of prefab components, and knowledge of design for manufacturing and assembly processes in both Prefabrication and Mass Timber is a valuable asset for advancing DPR’s National Prefabrication / Mass Timber strategy. For Scott, prefabrication and Mass Timber is his passion. Understanding solutions from both project site and manufacturing facilities management experience enables the evolution of leveraging manufactured components into construction processes. He is excited to advance DPR's “ever forward” prefabrication and industrialized construction capabilities to the next level—moving from field construction to offsite manufacturing and field assembly.
  • Monica Chhatwani
    Monica Chhatwani
    Decarbonization Program Leader at DPR Construction
    Monica Chhatwani part of the Sustainability team at DPR Construction with a focus on Decarbonization. She is supporting Sustainability at DPR with two main objectives - Establishing consistent carbon tracking across the most impactful emission categories at DPR and developing Embodied Carbon tracking and reduction strategies within our projects and self-perform work. Prior to joining DPR, Monica did her Masters in Sustainable & Resilient Infrastructure Systems at UIUC where she also completed a thesis on Model Driven Management of Construction Carbon Footprint & published an ASCE conference paper based on this topic. She is passionate about Sustainability and technology in the built environment and leveraging different expertise areas to lead to faster decarbonization in this industry.
  • Mika Reckers
    Mika Reckers
    National Prefabrication Preconstruction Leader at DPR Construction
    Mika Reckers is a preconstruction manager with 28 years of experience in the construction industry, primarily focused on preconstruction, procurement, and design management. With a background in civil engineering, she is passionate about building performance, materials, and innovative design, while also creating value through multi-faceted evaluation of building options including lifecycle cost, environmental impact, quality, worker safety, and other secondary impacts that influence the value of a building. She has experience with projects ranging from small tenant improvements to ground up high-rise projects in the Northern California region. She believes our industry can improve the lives of “those who build”, and “those we build for”. Her current position is a national role, supporting prefabrication and preconstruction for DPR. She is currently working on various initiatives to advance prefabrication and sustainability in our industry.
  • Marshall Andrews
    Marshall Andrews
    Northwest Sustainability Leader at DPR Construction
    With over 15 years of experience at DPR Construction, Marshall Andrews has displayed a talent and passion for sustainability. He has helped develop in-house estimating tools to calculate the Return on Investment (ROI) for various levels of LEED certification early in the design process, as well as lead educational efforts preparing DPR’s employees to test and receive the LEED AP Certification. His diverse onsite project experience includes sustainable construction for colleges, offices, and data centers. As the Northwest Sustainability Leader, Marshall’s early integration was key for successful execution between various design and construction disciplines.
  • Ryan Poole
    Ryan Poole
    Global Sustainability Leader at DPR Construction
    Ryan leads Sustainability for DPR Construction, one of the country’s top technical Builders with offices spreading globally. From early on, sustainability was a passion of Ryan’s. While attending Clemson University he founded and served as the Director of Sustainability - where he helped the university shape their vision for a greener future. After college, Ryan began leveraging his Construction Science & Management B.S. and Civil Engineering Sustainable Development M.S. to help shape the industry across numerous market sectors through leading projects and business growth. Ryan is now passionately driven to ensure DPR is innovating sustainable practices for how they operate, build, and ultimately help change the world. Through strategic partnerships, he harnesses the power of collaboration and unity to provide influence towards creating a healthier future for all.

Key takeaways

- Attendees will learn strategies in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and structural system material selection relevant to LEED & WELL Certifications (LEED v4.1 BD+C MR Credit - Building Life-cycle Impact reduction; WELL v2 Innovation Credits – Carbon Inventory, Carbon Reduction Goal & Carbon Reduction).

- Attendees will understand our comparison of 5 different structural systems using LCA, the limitations of analysis tools, and available data such as product specific EPDs.

- Attendees will learn about the owner’s, designer’s, and contractor’s perspectives when evaluating key design decisions around structural system preferences.

- Attendees will gain knowledge around each structural system’s benefits, and a clear understanding of how to evaluate them (using Choosing By Advantages, CBA) for their projects.