As the real estate industry accelerates its net zero journey, reducing embodied carbon has become a critical focus. Embodied carbon represents the carbon emissions tied to material extraction, production, transportation, disposal, and building construction. These emissions account for 11 percent of global annual carbon emissions and up to 50 percent of a building’s total emissions over its lifetime. For project teams, the challenge often lies in pinpointing when and how to reduce embodied carbon emissions during the development process, as much of a building’s embodied carbon is locked in long before construction even begins.
Addressing embodied carbon during development can deliver tangible financial benefits such as reduced costs, higher building value, and faster lease-ups. Developers can make sure to tap into these benefits by setting carbon reduction goals early in the process of development.
As developers, we have an opportunity to pursue reducing embodied carbon in construction while exploring ways to achieve financial and environmental value across the development process.
That’s where ULI’s latest interactive global resource, the Developer’s Guide to Embodied Carbon, comes in. This resource is designed to help real estate professionals and developers cut embodied carbon emissions at each stage of development. From concept and early visioning to a building’s end of life, the guide provides actionable strategies tailored for various project phases, with real-world case studies for each.
Featured Project: The Gilbert, London, United Kingdom
Brookfield Properties has committed to halving its emissions by 2030, including embodied carbon. Its building The Gilbert exemplified this commitment from the early schematic design phase. Instead of focusing on new construction, the project team retained more than 90 percent of the building’s historic structure, thus reducing embodied carbon by seven times the industry targets for new builds. This design decision also led to significant cost savings. The final project achieved an approximate 80 percent reduction in embodied carbon emissions compared to a new building and surpassed the LETI benchmark and GLA 2023 target by 9,500 tonnes.
Featured Project: Kilroy Oyster Point—Phase II, San Francisco, California, United States
Kilroy Oyster Point, a life sciences campus being developed in South San Francisco, was featured for its embodied carbon reductions during the construction documents phase. Through a “cradle-to-grave” assessment of the project’s emissions, the project team identified embodied carbon “hot spots” in the design. With new understanding of which materials were the heaviest carbon emitters during construction—concrete and steel—the project team was able to work with manufacturers to explore low-carbon alternatives. Furthermore, the team determined that switching to low-carbon concrete mixes had zero impact on overall cost. The project was able to achieve an overall 16 percent carbon emission reduction across four buildings.
Featured Project: Hang Lung Properties’ Gypsum Recycling Program, China
Hang Lung Properties, a development company based in Hong Kong, was featured for its success in reducing emissions through material reuse and circularity. The company’s new gypsum board recycling program, currently being piloted in two projects, has diverted more than 1,500 pounds (680 kg) of gypsum board waste from the landfill, reducing pollution and environmental impacts. The recycled gypsum board is used in different construction applications and helps avoid emissions from the creation of new products.
Fit-out materials recycling is a missed opportunity in the building life cycle. By embracing material reuse and circularity, we’re not just building structures but also reducing the embodied carbon that comes with traditional construction methods.
Rather than generating excess embodied carbon through landfill waste, Hang Lung was able to avoid that outcome through its intervention.
Alongside six other projects, these case studies demonstrate a multitude of opportunities to reduce embodied carbon across the development timeline. With these best practices, the industry can move closer to reducing embodied carbon while also fostering a sustainable and economically viable built environment. For developers invested in reducing embodied carbon and reaching their overall carbon reduction goals, this guide provides the tried-and-true strategies for success.
“At Kilroy we are proud to have successfully incorporated embodied carbon reduction strategies into several recent developments. Adding new considerations—embodied carbon—to already complex development and construction projects can be challenging. ULI’s new resource, the Developer’s Guide to Embodied Carbon, will help developers identify how to get started and begin to cut embodied carbon through thoughtful design and material procurement at many different phases in the real estate development process.” —Sarah King, senior vice president, sustainability, Kilroy Realty Corporation
