Early Conversions With Owners (12/11/2024)

Paul Hutton led the discussion, and started with some questions to the group:

Do you raise embodied carbon in your marketing and proposal materials?

Do you raise the topic in interviews? Do your owner agreements include anything about embodied carbon or LCA's?

In your early charette do you raise the issue of embodied carbon?

Do you have a clear and simple explanation about why embodied carbon is important, hopefully with graphics, ready to go?

Any examples of embodied carbon conversations with client?

1. Existing building - used embodied carbon to help justify the retention of the existing building vs demo and rebuild.

2. When client is interested in sustainability we introduce it.

3. Public companies that have public statements about sustainability are easy to talk to.

4. K-12 can be talked to as some have sustainability in their mission statements.

5. Passive house is a good conversation starting point. Increasing insulation to meet PH standards can increase embodied carbon

6. What about health care projects? Start with the health of materials and move to embodied carbon. Material health vs going to a place to heal. What about the long term impacts of CO2 as a health threat?

7. Tell private clients about BCCO and ask if they would like to meet the same standards.

Importance of moments-of-truth with client (see Paul's questions above)

Awards:

COTE could set aside one award for exemplary embodied carbon reductions.

Colorado AIA Sustainability Award. Awards are in September - committee starts in January.

Design publication that owners would like to be published in?

What incentives would attract owners?

Any award or claim needs to be accountable - cannot be greenwash.

Would OSA be interested in some kind of annual award?

Any organizations that owners would listen to, local, national, international?

Awards don't seem to last long in the owners' mind.

Should we start a work group on owner conversations? YES: Sam Palmer-Dwore POC, Amanda Spice, Paul Hutton. Meet monthly.

Continuous discussions with owner may be more important than an award that is soon forgotten.