Building Assembly Design
Designing with embodied carbon in mind - interactive material selection and analysis
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Section 4 of 5Material Choices Matter
Every material choice in construction has carbon consequences. From the foundation to the facade, each component contributes to the building's total embodied carbon footprint. Understanding how materials interact and accumulate carbon is crucial for low-carbon design.
The interactive tool below allows you to experiment with different material combinations. Drag materials into your building assembly and see how they affect the total embodied carbon. Try different combinations to find the optimal balance between performance, cost, and carbon emissions.
Design Principles
- • Prioritize materials with lower carbon intensity
- • Consider material durability and lifespan
- • Optimize quantities to reduce waste
- • Balance structural performance with carbon cost
- • Plan for future adaptability and reuse
Interactive Building Assembly Carbon Analyzer
Material Palette
foundation
🏗️
Concrete Foundation
0.25 kg CO₂e/kg
🔧
Steel Foundation
1.5 kg CO₂e/kg
🌲
Timber Foundation
0.8 kg CO₂e/kg
structure
🏗️
Concrete Frame
0.3 kg CO₂e/kg
🔧
Steel Frame
1.8 kg CO₂e/kg
🌲
CLT Structure
0.4 kg CO₂e/kg
🧱
Brick Walls
0.2 kg CO₂e/kg
envelope
🪟
Glass Facade
1.5 kg CO₂e/kg
🏢
Metal Panels
3.2 kg CO₂e/kg
🌳
Timber Cladding
0.6 kg CO₂e/kg
🧶
Mineral Wool
1.2 kg CO₂e/kg
interior
📋
Gypsum Boards
0.15 kg CO₂e/kg
🟫
Carpet Tiles
2.8 kg CO₂e/kg
🎨
Paints & Coatings
3.5 kg CO₂e/kg
🔲
Vinyl Flooring
2.1 kg CO₂e/kg
🏗️ Building Assembly Canvas
foundation
0 kg CO₂e
Drag materials here
structure
0 kg CO₂e
Drag materials here
interior
0 kg CO₂e
Drag materials here
envelope
0 kg CO₂e
Drag materials here
Carbon Analysis Dashboard
0
Total kg CO₂e
0.0
kg CO₂e/m²
0
Materials Used