INSTRUCTORS: 
Matt Bauer
Alex Pagnotta, Ph.D

Purpose and Background

For as long as humans have been planning construction projects, engineering design has been an optimization problem in which cost is minimized while performance must meet specific standards. However, we now face a relatively new existential threat: climate change resulting from our activities. To mitigate the effects of climate change, many of the methods that have yielded the current levels of abundance and prosperity may need to be altered to address environmental impacts. In this presentation, we will demonstrate how engineering design can include the minimization of embodied carbon, which is the sum of greenhouse gas emissions from the extraction, manufacture, transportation, and assembly of construction materials or components. We will examine a project where engineers must decide between steel helical piles and reinforced concrete drilled piers as foundations for supporting a new electrical substation. We will review current and near-future material alternatives with reduced embodied carbon intensity for both options. Then, we will review the designs between the traditional and low-carbon materials, while varying the soil profile and the material type. We will conclude by comparing the embodied carbon values for each foundation design and make general remarks about how they may affect the project's cost.

This techsession will only award PDHs for completion.

Learning Outcomes and Session Benefits:

Upon completion of these sessions, you will be able to:

• Explain the construction methods and load transfer mechanisms for helical piles and drilled piers.
• Locate published embodied carbon values and estimates, describe how those values are determined, and use that information to estimate the embodied carbon for foundation design elements.
• Describe the current and near-future material alternatives that reduce the embodied carbon intensity of steel and concrete.
• List industry organizations that are working to advance embodied carbon knowledge and reduction strategies across engineering practices

Assessment of Learning Outcomes

Learning outcomes are assessed and achieved through participation in the live Q/A with our speakers, and by responding to the post- session survey. If the course is taken on-demand, there will also be a 10 multiple choice question post-test.

Who Should Attend?

• Structural Engineers
• Environmental Engineers
• Sustainability professionals
• Estimator
• Project Manager

How to Earn your PDHs and Receive Your Certificate of Completion

This course is worth 1 PDH. To receive your certificate of completion, you will need to complete a short on-line post-test and receive a passing score of 70% or higher within 365 days of the course.

View Important Policies and System Requirements for this course