Net-positive building carbon sequestration
Abstract
A greater appreciation of architecture as a means to drive social, economic and environmental sustainability is emerging around the world. Practices are beginning to adopt closed-loop and cradle-to-cradle strategies, and some are even aiming toward net-positive design. However, life cycle assessment (LCA) tools do not measure 'beyond zero'. The question of how net-positive carbon sequestration (i.e. impacts beyond net-zero) can be assessed within LCA is explored through a proposed carbon amortization performance (CAP) method. CAP overlays energy-related carbon and biomass sequestration over the building life cycle. CO2 equivalence (CO2e) is used to combine both positive and negative impacts from different sources. Net-positive contributions are defined as those exceeding 'zero operational carbon' – after the embodied carbon is paid back during the life cycle. The CAP method was tested on a building design with the technical support of multidisciplinary experts. The results indicate that a building can sequester more carbon over its life cycle than it emits by using on-site current renewable energy technology and extensive building-integrated vegetation. Buildings designed on net-positive development principles can potentially reverse their carbon impact and begin to regenerate their regions, while providing multiple eco-services.
- Publication:
-
Building Research & Information
- Pub Date:
- January 2015
- DOI:
- Bibcode:
- 2015BuRI...43...11R
- Keywords:
-
- buildings;
- carbon sequestration;
- CO<SUB>2</SUB> equivalence;
- ecosystem services;
- life cycle;
- net-positive;
- regenerative design;
- sustainable design