Description:
Embodied carbon, defined as the emissions associated with the extraction, manufacturing, transport, installation, replacement, and end-of-life scenario of products and materials, constitutes a significant proportion of a building’s whole life carbon emissions. In Ontario, embodied carbon accounts for roughly 75-80% of total footprint, with the remaining 20-25% is made up by a building’s operational carbon. Given these relative contributions, developing an understanding around how to measure and reduce embodied carbon is crucial in curbing the adverse climate impacts of the construction industry. Assessing embodied carbon impacts, often done through whole building life cycle assessment (LCA), is a necessary step in a shift towards a more regenerative and lower carbon practice.

The TSA is excited to welcome Ha/f Climate Design for an in-person lecture and workshop session on LCA for practicing industry professionals. Following a theory-based lecture on LCA, embodied carbon, and related methodologies, participants will engage in a hands-on workshop, learning the basics of how to perform an assessment themselves. The event will wrap up with a feedback session, enabling attendees to present their findings and learn from other groups about insights and any encountered challenges. Participants will leave the session with knowledge of definitions, methods, targets and standards related to LCA work for architectural practices.

Please Note: Participants will need to bring their own laptop for this session.

We hope you’ll join us for our ‘Half Day with Ha/f’ — this in-person experience should make for an informative day! Spaces are limited so make sure to register in advance!

Fees:
-$30 +HST (TSA Members)
-$75 +HST (Non-Members)-
50% off Non-Member Pricing for members of other Local Societies using a discount code.

Speakers:
Kelly Alvarez Doran, OAA, MRAIC
Kelly is an architect, urban designer, educator, and internationally recognized thought leader on whole life carbon in building design. His fifteen years of international experience leading projects across North America, Europe, and Africa has helped form his understanding of the full range of social and environmental impacts - both positive and negative - a project can have.
Kelly serves as the Senior Director of Performance and Provenance at MASS Design Group where he supports Principals and Designers embed environmental objectives into its projects, as well as leading climate-focused research and the training of the entire team. Previously, Kelly led MASS’s’ Kigali office overseeing the design and implementation of several of projects across East Africa, notably the award-winning Munini District Hospital and Rwanda Ministry of Health’s Typical Hospital Plans; Nyarugenge District Hospital, the headquarters for One Acre Fund and Andela in Kenya; and the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture - the world’ first climate-positive academic campus.
Kelly is a visiting professor at University of Toronto, where his Ha/f Research Studio focuses on the whole life carbon of the built environment. The outcomes of this research have informed the ongoing development of embodied carbon policies for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

Juliette Cook
Juliette Cook brings a lifecycle lens to design thinking across a diverse portfolio of projects - providing evaluating these from the balanced perspectives of embodied carbon, operational performance, and cost while also considering other important performance metrics, such as reuse potential, toxicity, durability, labour, constructability, and more. She feels strongly that a return to a deeper understanding of materials, the ways they are made, and the ways in which they go together will enable a more regenerative design.
Juliette has also been working with the City of Toronto on a benchmarking study on embodied carbon, helping to inform a future system of tiered targets and developing a standard reporting template for whole building life cycle assessments. She currently works at MASS Design Group as a material research specialist and has previously worked as an architectural designer and sustainability consultant for White Arkitekter, where she created a palette of non-conventional, low-carbon materials for a large-scale cancer treatment centre.
Juliette holds a Masters of Architecture from the University of Toronto, where she was part of the inaugural Ha/f Research Studio. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in geography and environmental studies from McGill University and is affiliated with the Parsons New School’s Healthy Materials Lab.

Ryan Bruer
Ryan is an intern architect, artist and researcher. He is interested in a future of building which embraces the economic and environmental opportunities of bio-based materials and circular construction. He has a decade of design and exhibition experience and is a leading expert in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methods, policy and education.
Ryan holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) from the McMaster University in studio arts where he specialised in printmaking and sculpture. His first solo exhibition, titled With/Without, received multiple grants through Canada Council of the Arts. The exhibition proposed an artistic practice which relied on material circularity through community engagement and the creation of a hybrid artist/tradesperson. He holds a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Toronto, where his thesis proposed that reinvestment in skilled labour education is critical for a transition to low-carbon construction in Ontario.
Ryan works at BDP Quadrangle on large multi-unit residential projects from concept design through to construction and is well-versed in the latest industry standards and best practices. He is dedicated to promoting sustainable design and is leading the deployment of studio-wide LCA methods and the design of low carbon, high performance envelope systems.