Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) and RDH Building Science have completed The Atmospheric Fund (TAF) funded project to develop embodied carbon guidelines and data resources for building enclosures. The result of this work is a public database of enclosure assembly material quantities to be used in embodied carbon calculations—before drawings exist. The value of this data to the market is:
- Making early-stage design decisions about insulation levels, cladding choices, and enclosure assembly type with respect to the embodied carbon.
- Providing data for updating performance targets for whole building embodied carbon. The targets used in CAGBC’s Zero Carbon Building and Toronto Green Standard are based on benchmark data. As EPDs improve and change for individual materials, this database can aid in updating these standards on an accelerated timeline.
- Helping manufacturers and designers understand what the most important levers with respect to embodied carbon in enclosure systems are.
- Understanding the impact of new low-carbon materials when incorporated into various enclosure assemblies.