Design Guidance

Low Carbon Design Guidance

1. Renovate rather than build new.
2. Reuse existing building components (foundations, structural system)
3. Minimize new building area by optimizing program
4. Consider low carbon structural systems:
   • CLT as floor slabs
   • Glulam as beams, columns
   • Rammed earth or bio-based bricks instead of concrete
   • light gauge metal instead of structural steel
5. Deploy lower-carbon materials:
   • increase fly ash or slag content in concrete
   • use FSC-certified wood
   • increase recycled/salvaged content
   • Optimize structural system (sizing of elements)
   • Minimize impact of specific products
   • compare product-specific EPDs