The Embodied Carbon Boot Camp provides a focused, practice-oriented introduction to embodied carbon as it relates specifically to building structural systems. The program emphasizes how embodied carbon is calculated, discussed, and addressed within real projects, using methods and workflows aligned with current professional practice.
Sessions combine lecture style instruction with applied examples and discussion, drawing on real world experience and widely used tools and data sources. A central component of the boot camp is instruction on the SEI Prestandard for Assessing the Embodied Carbon of Structural Systems for Buildings, supporting consistent and credible assessment approaches.
Day One: Foundations, Tools, and Workflows
Day one is designed to establish a shared baseline of knowledge and practical understanding.
Participants will:
- Learn foundational embodied carbon concepts, terminology, and lifecycle stages relevant to structural systems
- Understand how to calculate embodied carbon using material quantities and carbon data
- Learn how Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are structured and used
- Gain hands on exposure to tools such as EC3 and industry average EPD data sources
- Explore how embodied carbon assessment fits into project workflows, including target setting, baselining, and coordination across design and construction teams
- Review practical structural design and specification strategies for reducing embodied carbon
The emphasis is on understanding both the calculations themselves and how those calculations inform design decisions.
Day Two (Half Day): Best Practices, Policy, and the SEI Prestandard
The second half day focuses on integration into professional practice and evolving expectations. Topics include:
- The current policy landscape related to embodied carbon and its implications for structural engineers
- Effective collaboration with architects, contractors, and other building professionals
- In depth instruction on applying the SEI Prestandard, including its tiered framework
- Methods for making informed comparisons between structural systems, including discussion of functional units and uncertainty