The CMC design team greatly reduced the carbon built into the complex by very carefully sourcing the concrete , rebar , structural steel , and other construction materials for the project . The environmental effects of the production , transport , and installation of these materials is known as “ embodied carbon .” According to the life cycle assessment Stok completed on the CMC , the project will achieve carbon footprint reductions well beyond what the normal – also known as “ baseline ” – building design would achieve :
• 21 % reduction in depletion of nonrenewable energy used in manufacturing and transport .
• 15 % cut in acidification from carbon dioxide that readily dissolves into water and damages ecosystems .
• 14 % reduction in the formation of tropospheric ozone , also known as summer smog .
• 14 % cut in eutrophication involving the release of mineral nutrients that cause certain species to dominate an ecosystem and ultimately choke out other species .
• 11 % reduction in global warming potential and ozone depletion , which raises the level of harmful solar UV rays reaching the Earth ’ s surface .
Left : Extensive insulation includes spray foam installed behind the exterior brick of the event center , as well as a roof insulation system in the fieldhouse that provides a finished interior surface and thick fiberglass insulation above the frame and under the steel roof .
Key to Measuring Efficiency : What ’ s the Baseline ?
building must demonstrate achieving a minimum level
A of energy efficiency to reduce the environmental and economic harms of excessive energy use in order to be LEED certified . In the case of the CMC , energy modeling according to ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2010 Appendix G was used to quantify the energy efficiency and energy cost savings of the design against the baseline . The term baseline means the amount of energy and water a building would consume if it were designed using conventional practices . Following the Appendix G methodology allows for demonstrating credit through exceeding standard practices not regulated by Standard 90.1 , such as optimized window area and orientation , selection of more efficient HVAC and service water heating equipment type , right sizing HVAC equipment , and efficient use of thermal mass .
20 | TRENDS Ingenuity , Integrity , and Intelligence .