An Approach to Environmental Justice in Design and Construction

We are in a climate emergency. The built environment is responsible for roughly half of all greenhouse gas emissions, and, with the predicted construction growth in upcoming years, the problem can seem overwhelming and unmanageable. However, as designers we are poised with the opportunity to make the biggest impact by adapting our professional practice. Our lecture will break down a traditional lifecycle analysis, shed light on how to calculate embodied carbon at each design stage, and explain how to draw conclusions from the results. We will also present MASS Design Group’s integrated approach to reducing its environmental footprint and dive into the challenges faced in the firm’s applications across the United States and various African nations. Addressing the climate crisis will require a rigorous inquiry into traditional design methodology across all disciplines; however, the tools and resources we will share are directly applicable to architects and structural engineers.