E – 3136 Carbon Reduction Strategies in Structural Design

The construction industry stands at a critical crossroads in addressing climate change, with structural systems representing the single largest contributor to building embodied carbon. While operational carbon emissions have received substantial attention through energy codes and efficiency improvements, embodied carbon has emerged as an equally urgent concern. As buildings become more energy efficient, the relative importance of embodied carbon increases, with some high-performance buildings now exhibiting embodied carbon contributions exceeding 50 percent of total lifecycle emissions. This comprehensive course introduces structural engineers, architects, and construction professionals to evidence-based strategies for reducing carbon emissions through thoughtful structural design decisions.

By completing this course, you will gain practical insights into how material selection, structural system choices, and design optimization approaches can achieve significant environmental benefits while maintaining structural performance and economic viability. Research by the Carbon Leadership Forum has documented embodied carbon variations of 30 to 50 percent between best and worst performing structural system alternatives for equivalent buildings. Concrete production contributes approximately 8 percent of global CO2 emissions, while steel production contributes approximately 7 percent, making structural engineering decisions among the most consequential for climate mitigation in the built environment.

This course bridges technical carbon accounting concepts with practical design applications, examining lifecycle assessment fundamentals, low-carbon concrete strategies using supplementary cementitious materials and optimized mix designs, steel carbon reduction through specification and design optimization, mass timber systems including biogenic carbon accounting and hybrid structures, and structural system selection frameworks that balance carbon performance with traditional engineering criteria. Whether you are a structural engineer, architect, facility manager, or construction professional, this course will equip you with the knowledge needed to achieve meaningful embodied carbon reductions while maintaining structural performance and project economics.