TIME: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Description
As the built environment looks to rapidly adapt to accelerating climate impacts and increasingly ambitious decarbonization goals, sustainability strategies must develop beyond isolated analysis. This presentation outlines an approach that integrates operational carbon, embodied carbon, and climate resilient design to optimize building carbon performance, climate resiliency, and long-term risk management.
The session begins by introducing key sources of carbon emissions alongside climate risk factors that influence building performance over time. Using a whole life carbon lens, the presentation will demonstrate how early-stage design decisions related to building form, structural systems, envelope performance, and mechanical system selection drive the majority of lifecycle emissions. The discussion explores common tradeoffs and points between embodied and operational carbon which will identify areas of diminishing returns where additional upfront carbon no longer delivers proportional operational carbon savings and metrics that impact this by location.
Building on this foundation, the presentation will then outline how Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessments (CRiVA) can be integrated into carbon analysis. First, the acute risks and long-term climate trend shifts are evaluated using a likelihood of occurrence versus severity of consequence risk matrix, as outlined in the ISO 31000 Standard of Risk Management for climate adaptation. This approach enables prioritization of design responses based on both probability and impact while maintaining alignment with carbon reduction objectives.
Learning Objectives
- Understand key carbon sources and climate risks affecting building performance, and how they influence long-term sustainability and resilience goals.
- Analyze early-stage design decisions including building form, structural systems, envelopes, and mechanical systems and their impact on whole-life carbon emissions.
- Evaluate trade-offs between embodied and operational carbon to identify points of diminishing returns and optimize carbon reduction strategies by location.
- Apply an integrated framework combining CRiVA and carbon analysis to prioritize resilient, low-carbon design solutions across all stages of the building lifecycle.
Presenters:
Matt Woods, P.ENG, CDP, Senior Decarbonization Consultant, RWDI
Matt Woods is a certified decarbonization professional and Engineer specializing in decarbonization with a focus in embodied carbon, operational energy performance, and climate resilient design for buildings and infrastructure. With working experience across both the public and private sector, Matt supports owners, designers, and operators in integrating embodied carbon reduction strategies, operational performance optimizations, and climate risk management approaches into practical decision-making frameworks. Matt currently holds a P.ENG designations, is one 19 certified decarbonization professional in Canada and was part of the first every cohort for CDPs globally. Matt also has a passion for supportive housing and currently sits on the board of Supportive Housing of Waterloo. Additionally, Matt sites on BOMA Toronto's Energy and Decarbonization Committee as a technical expert.
Pricing:
Licensed OAA Members: $42.50 + HST
OAA Interns and Students: $32.50 + HST
Non-Members: $63.00 + HST
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