Toronto Metropolitan University and RDH Building Science, with funding from The Atmospheric Fund, have completed a project to create guidelines for measuring the carbon footprint of building enclosures. They’ve launched a public database that lists the material quantities of enclosure assemblies, useful for calculating embodied carbon early in the design process—without needing detailed drawings.
This resource aids in making early design decisions on aspects like insulation and cladding, in relation to their carbon impact. It also supports the revision of embodied carbon performance targets in building standards by providing up-to-date material data. This, in turn, helps inform manufacturers and designers about key factors affecting the carbon impact of enclosure systems, as well as the effects of integrating new low-carbon materials into these systems.