Climate change is one of the largest threats facing the planet today. The construction industry accounts for 11% of global carbon emissions, playing a significant part in the climate crisis. To determine the best solution for future school buildings, not only does practicability, economy and constructability play a part, so does sustainability.

In order to better understand the embodied carbon emissions associated with the construction of new school buildings in British Columbia, the embodied carbon content associated with the four framing systems examples in the companion report, An Analysis of Structural System Cost Comparisons (costing study), was assessed. The purpose of this study is to allow the embodied carbon associated with these systems to become an important factor when choosing a viable scheme.

Embodied carbon is the carbon footprint of a material or product. To determine the embodied carbon of a building you must consider the quantity of greenhouse gases associated with the building. The most effective way to measure this is through Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), a study which determines the embodied carbon from cradle to grave (material extraction to building demolition). Consequently, an LCA was conducted for each of the four schemes presented in the costing study. Additionally, for wood frame Options A and B, WoodWorks online carbon calculator was used to determine the potential carbon savings associated with carbon sequestering.