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INSTRUCTORS:
Mark Sarkisian, PE, SE, NAE, LEED
Rafe Vaughn
Jeff Becksfort
Purpose and Background
These presentations were recorded at the AEI 2025 Conference.
Urban Sequoia – Inventive Systems and Biogenic Materials to Reduce Whole Life Carbon (52 minutes)
The Urban Sequoia concept proposes a visionary approach to designing skyscrapers that go beyond net-zero carbon by actively sequestering carbon throughout their lifecycle. Drawing inspiration from natural ecosystems, the design utilizes biogenic and low-carbon materials such as bio-bricks, algae facades, carbon-capturing aggregates, and modular precast systems. The concept integrates passive and active strategies, optimized structural forms, prefabrication, direct air carbon capture, and multifunctional MEP systems, to drastically reduce embodied and operational carbon emissions. The presentation emphasized the critical need for buildings to evolve into self-sufficient, regenerative systems that resemble trees in function, absorbing, regenerating, and serving communities. Using a hypothetical 60-story prototype, the design demonstrated a potential reduction of up to 70% in embodied carbon compared to conventional buildings.
The Impact of Living Buildings: Carbon and Energy Reductions in the Built Environment (45 minutes)
This presentation examines the principles and performance of Living Buildings, a high-performance building standard that pushes beyond traditional sustainability toward full regenerative design. Drawing on lessons from three real-world projects—the Bullitt Center in Seattle, the Candida Building in Georgia, and the PAE Living Building in Portland—speakers explored how net-zero energy, water reuse, composting systems, and material transparency are applied to dramatically reduce both operational and embodied carbon. The session highlighted technological challenges, implementation strategies, and the economic feasibility of these projects, including shifting from philanthropic to investment-driven development models. Attendees gained insights into the evolution of sustainable design practices and the systems thinking required for successful Living Building projects.
Benefits and Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:
- Describe how the Urban Sequoia model incorporates regenerative design strategies to absorb carbon throughout a building’s lifecycle.
- Identify advanced biogenic and low-carbon materials used to minimize embodied carbon in tall structures.
- Explain how prefabrication, form optimization, and integrated systems contribute to reducing construction time and carbon footprint.
- List the core principles and performance requirements of the Living Building Challenge.
- Discuss the technical and operational challenges faced in designing net-zero energy and water buildings.
Assessment of Learning Outcomes
Students' achievement of the learning outcomes will be assessed via a short post-test assessment (true-false, multiple choice, and/or fill in the blank questions).
Who Should Attend?
- Architectural Engineers
- Structural Engineers
- Sustainability Consultants
- Construction Engineers
- Academic and Professional Researchers
- Early Career Professionals
How to Earn Your CEUs/PDHs and Receive Your Certificate of Completion
To receive your certificate of completion, you will need to complete a short post-test and receive a passing score of 70% or higher within 1 year of purchasing the course.
How do I convert CEUs to PDHs?
1.0 CEU = 10 PDHs [Example: 0.1 CEU = 1 PDH]