Written due to popular demand, here is an outline of the second hour of the Reimagine Buildings: Biomaterials conference! Hosted by Chris Magwood (RMI), who described the hour as “a feast of materials”, panelists Lindsey Love (Regen Building), Jacob Deva Racusin (Builders for Climate Action / New Frameworks), and Lindsay Rasmussen (Third Derivative) focused on potential alternatives for conventional concrete, flooring, insulation, and cladding. (Members of the RB Collective can go the library to watch the session and revisit other events!)
As Magwood notes, these categories are some of the biggest sources of embodied emissions in many new builds. In fact, between 60% and 70% of the embodied emissions in a new home will often be contained in the building’s concrete, as well as the insulation and cladding systems. For interiors, flooring is oftentimes the leading contributor of embodied emissions.