NRMCA Participates in Panel on Embodied Carbon in Federal Construction

The Design Build Institute of America (DBIA) recently invited NRMCA to participate on a panel addressing embodied carbon in federal construction at the DBIA Federal Symposium in Crystal City, VA. The panel was arranged and moderated by Lance Davis with the General Services Administration (GSA), the first federal agency to establish embodied carbon limits on concrete for federal construction managed by the GSA. The panel included a designer from HOK, a contractor from a local construction company, Clark Construction, and representatives from the steel and wood industries.

NRMCA Executive Vice President, Engineering, Colin Lobo presented the perspective for concrete by outlining the efforts of NRMCA and the ready mixed concrete industry to set goals for sustainability; develop more product-specific Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) than all other construction materials; identify the top 10 ways to reduce the embodied carbon of concrete related to design; the evolution to performance-based specifications; supporting innovative materials and construction system and considering the various benefits for reduced energy and resilience provided by concrete construction.

It was indicated that the design-build contract delivery system was ideal to ensure that all stakeholders were informed and worked together to achieve sustainability goals. The panel was attended by over 150 representatives from the design-build community and owners representing several federal agencies.

For more information, contact Colin Lobo at clobo@nrmca.org.