Asked why he robbed banks, Willy Sutton reputedly replied, “Because that’s where the money is.”
Following Sutton’s law, engineers trim the largest sources of embodied carbon (EC) – the frame and concrete floors – but often overlook the significant carbon embodied in the façade.
We’re developing a parametric tool to calculate the life-cycle EC of a façade panel based on its geometry and materials. Any design variable – such as bay dimensions and number of façade elements – can be modified to estimate its effect on EC.
Next, we’ll add more façade types and ensure accurate component data, which varies by fabricator. Then we’ll determine a correction factor, since at schematic design, the contractor might not have identified each material’s supplier. The goal is to provide the project team with a reasonable range of façade EC for a given design.